Fox Hunt
by TheAnimeTrain
Summary: A silver tongue that turns truths into lies and lies into truths. Due to certain things, Border is on a hunt for a silver tongued fox. (Side story to Sick Snow)
1. Vulpecula

**Chapter 1:** Vulpecula

* * *

The silver tongue that inverts truths and lies

* * *

How had things come to this?

"Stay still so I can get you to Bail Out."

When did he get in this kind of situation.

"Hound."

All he could think of was how he was the type of fighter who could escape almost anything when he tried.

Tsukiko Yuki jumped from rooftop to rooftop as three people followed him with weapons ready to get him to Bail Out.

Taking a quick look behind he could see that he was managing to keep a good distance away from the three.

Tachikawa Kei - Border's #1 Attacker with nothing going on in his mind except using his Trigger for fights or taking out Neighbors. He was the closest person to Yuki, yet still couldn't reach him with his two blades.

Kako Nozomi - a beauty-Shooter with a beauty mark that was currently the only one really making him work for his escape. She had been firing at him repeatedly, making him use his own Trion to get out of the way of the shots.

Miwa Shuji - the Neighbor-hating captain of Border's #7 A-Rank squad. His Lead Bullets were something to worry about - if they could manage to hit him. He was in the same boat as Tachikawa in the sense that he was not close enough to properly attack.

These three A-Rank captains were the ones who were currently chasing him like hounds chasing after a fox.

The reason for this was unknown by Yuki, but he wouldn't just submit to them.

 _They said that the Directors want to see me, but..._

It just didn't feel right.

The three were already in their Trion bodies, as if they were expecting him to attack them right away.

He had managed to get a good distance from them before using his own Trigger to start his real escape. Using Teleport didn't strain him too much when it came to his reserve of Trion, but having to use it in succession didn't help much.

Knowing that they would just continue to chase him until something else happened, he got ready to Teleport out of sight.

That was until something almost cut his head off.

Using his Side Effect, as well as his honed skill of forcing his body to move how he likes, he managed to slide under the blade that had suddenly appeared in front of him.

Looking up a bit to see who had almost cut him, he was surprised to see a familiar raven-haired A-Rank.

He saw a small opening that he could use to land a hit on the new person but thought it better to just run away. There was no sense in trying to get one hit in while there were still three others chasing him. This would give them enough time to catch up and surround him.

It was moments like these that really showed just why Yuki was a difficult person to catch.

 _Why the hell is Minoru after me as well!? Should I just ask? But if these guys are just taking the orders and going along with them... I could go to the directors like they want._

It was a wise choice, yet also something he refused to do.

Yuki was the first son and second child of a family of Japan's best soldiers. He had great instincts that had helped him out before, something that seemed to run in his family. Those same instincts were telling him that going back to Border HQ right now was not a good option.

That left him to continue his sprint to a safe location.

"!"

That idea became more difficult when he saw a leg heading towards his face.

He crouched down while sliding to the right.

From his new spot, he could see them.

.

It had been only a few seconds that Minoru and Yuki had been in contact, but that was enough for Miwa and Tachikawa to get within striking range, as well as Kako readying another onslaught of shots.

The two with blades ran forward, fully intent on going all out.

Three blades were used to cut him up while a gun was pulled out, firing Lead Bullets just in case. Behind them was a barrage of Hound that would be difficult for anyone to dodge or block without proper preparation.

Even so, there was something that managed to save him enough to only have to deal with the blade of Minoru instead of the other A-Rank agents.

 _Teleport!_

He looked a bit away for his target.

He used a bit more Trion to get distance once again, but knew that he would still have to deal with another irritation in the form of another All-Rounder.

Tachikawa and Miwa had been in mid-attack so they weren't able to switch their positioning to attack anywhere else. What's more was that the teleportation was done in such a small window of time that they would lose him again if they didn't have the fourth person ready.

Being a bit further away, Kako had redirected her shots towards Yuki once more as Minoru continued to try and land a hit.

 _I'd rather not pull out Idōgetsu right now. My main concern is getting away again. With one more person here things will just get that much harder._

With that thought in mind, Yuki continued to move smoothly through the attacks coming at him. He already knew how each person fought and how to counter them. His current fight was a simple one that he could use to his advantage.

He knew that Minoru could use Chameleon to hide from sight then strike when he saw the best opportunity. The flip side to that was the fact that he wouldn't be able to use any other Triggers while using that one.

Minoru was known for having a Trion Body similar to Reiji and Mei's, in the sense that his regular punches and kicks could still do a good amount of damage. That was exactly why Yuki knew he was safe, at least against this opponent.

The person in question would have to hide themselves and get up close to attack him.

Yuki wasn't going to actually fight.

So long as Yuki would not fight back, using Chameleon would give him the perfect chance to use Teleport to move away from everyone and not have to focus too much on an unseen opponent. He just had to see where he was going and he would be set.

That was the idea at least.

"!?"

Yuki went wide-eyed when he saw Minoru jump back as something came raining down on him and the rooftop he stood on.

Thankfully they were fighting within the Forbbiden Zone or he would be more worried about any people nearby.

When he looked up his first instinct was to Teleport away while putting up the sturdiest Shield he could.

There, raining down on him like a storm, were multiple Hound shots.

He knew who it was coming from and knew that he was getting help from Kako to let out this much of an offensive attack. The range was wide and there wasn't really any room to actually move around.

This attack would put him in a difficult position.

Letting out a disgruntled noise, he quickly grabbed the Trigger that was swinging at his hip with every move he made.

 _This is my best bet at escaping now!_

Reeling his arm back as much as he could, Yuki got ready to throw Idōgetsu like a javelin. His target wasn't the one who had just jumped back, the other three keeping their distance, or even the one who started the rain.

His target was the sky.

Using his whole body, and all the artificial strength he could muster, he threw his Personal Trigger into the sky while forcing himself not to Teleport away or put up a Shield.

Once Idōgetsu was high enough in the air, and it looked like the rain of Hound was going to get him, he said a single word.

"Teleport."

The rain of Hound came down hard and relentless. The buildings that got hit easily collapsed under the attack while the ground started to shake a bit with the holes being made in it.

Even with all this destruction, Yuki had not been hit by a single shot.

.

High above the battlefield, Yuki watched with Idōgetsu back in it's holster.

He had managed to teleport away thanks to Special Teleport. The mark at one of the ends of Idōgetsu disappeared as he let out a relieved sigh.

His relief was short-lived as he saw someone flying towards him with two blades in their grasp.

 _Dammit, Kei-san!_

Forcing his body to move the way he wanted, Yuki twisted in the air so that the blade at the right just barely missed him while the one on the left passed under him.

He grabbed Tachikawa's left arm and spun himself in the air so that he kicked the #1 Attacker away.

 _There's no way I would lose to him in a midair battle. I'm more use to moving at odd angles than he is. Not to mention using Kōgetsu messed him up in the air since they weigh much more than Idōgetsu._

Being satisfied with their current position, Yuki looked off to the horizon and got ready to Teleport away.

It would be easy enough at this height. Even dodging Ninomiya and Kako's shots wouldn't be too hard.

Once he got away he would be able to figure out what was going on, and why they were chasing him to begin with.

It was odd since he wasn't on bad terms with any of them - excluding the airhead - so this really made no sense to him. They all seemed to have a good amount of hostility towards him when they were attacking him. Even the easygoing Tachikawa and ever friendly Minoru were attacking him like a true enemy. Ninomiya was understandable, but he didn't even remember doing anything to get on Miwa's bad side.

All of this was just confusing.

 _I'll think about this later._

"Nope!"

Yuki was surprised when he felt something grab his ankles.

He looked down to see Tachikawa holding on to his ankles with a smug grin.

It would have been easy enough to use Idōgetsu to cut his arms off, but from the way the #1 Attack was grinning it seemed that he had already thought of that idea. That meant that this was definitely something bad.

.

Yuki and Tachikawa slammed into the roof of another building. They broke it, but did not create any holes to go through. Whether that was a good thing or not was still up in the air.

Yuki was quick to get up so that he could get away once again.

"!"

Feeling that his feet couldn't go anywhere, he looked down to see two blades stabbed through his feet and into the roof.

He was prepared to cut his legs off, but knew that it would be pointless now since he was surrounded.

No one questioned the excessive use of force.

With that in mind, Yuki forcefully slammed Idōgetsu into the roof of the building.

It had a tremendous effect.

The roof was made of ceramic material, so it mercilessly crumbled under the weight of the form Idōgetsu had taken known as Mangetsu. Yuki and the other five on the roof fell inside of the building.

The inside of the building was a vast area. In fact, it seemed a little too vast. It was even larger than a school gym. He was knowledgable about the different areas in Mikado City, but even this place seemed odd with the lines of rectangular boxes the size of industrial refrigerators.

They fell into that space from directly above.

The fall from about two or three stories up was nothing for the group in Trion Bodies.

So, the five A-Ranks standing there remained unfazed.

Tachikawa Kei.

Ninomiya Masataka.

Kako Nozomi.

Miwa Shuji.

Hatohara Minoru.

All of them were a great force that represented Border and they were all either an A-Rank or the possessor of an equivalent level of power. They were all top agents within Border with their own way of fighting that, if gathered together, would give anyone trouble.

"He really has taken hostile action this time."

They all turned toward Tsukiko Yuki who stood in the center.

The battle would likely end in an instant.

"You will probably have to really try now."

.

The primary premise behind this fight was Yuki's inability to counter them all at once.

He could put up a good fight against one or two of them, but there were far too many people to take on himself. Miwa and Kako were leaders of lower ranking A-Rank squads while Ninomiya was a B-Rank captain, but that didn't mean they weren't formidable opponents right now.

That left nothing for Yuki to do even if he grabbed his Trigger and faced them.

He was at a disadvantage in pure numbers. This was a poor match for his usual style of fighting, so it was blatantly obvious what would happen if they approached all at once.

Under all those conditions, there was only one thing he could do in the instant the five figures tore through the air and approached.

Out of Tachikawa, Ninomiya, Kako, Minoru, and Miwa, he chose to target just one of them.

He kept his gaze fixed and took a step forward, knowing he couldn't keep up.

He moved toward Hatohara Minoru.

As said before, there was nothing he could do in a fight against so many people and this one in particular did not wholly rely on multiple Triggers. He would be unable to evade the first strike, not to mention land a hit.

Then what was he trying to do?

The answer was simple.

In that instant, he moved into the path of Minoru's strike while turning off his Trigger. _He intentionally moved to a position of a sure-fire attack._

.

Minoru himself was likely the most surprised by that decision.

"What!?"

When he saw his much too reckless decision, he stopped just before bringing out Scorpion blades.

He was a part of a certain faction.

Shinoda Faction.

That meant he would prioritize Mikado City and it's citizens over fighting and defeating Neighbors.

Just like the others in this faction, _he would watch out for civilians._

The other issue here was the fact that Minoru knew just how weak Yuki's real body was. The special Trigger-user was amazingly good when in a Trion Body, but his real body was a deteriorating one that could fail him at any moment.

 _He used that against me?_

He thought while working to rein in his own power.

 _No matter where he tried to run, I could correct my course and land a hit on him. That meant my greatest blind spot was the point directly in front of me where he would be hit no matter what he did!_

Yuki immediately made his next move.

But from the perspective of an A-Rank who could move at great speed, it would be more accurate to say that he began to make his next move.

His decision was simple.

He did not punch or kick. He crouched down and curled up in a ball.

 _Oh, no._

One method a ninja would use to escape pursuit was to suddenly stop and curl up on the spot. The pursuer would be unable to brake fast enough, so the ninja would escape the pursuer's swinging sword and trip them.

Minoru could not eliminate his momentum, but striking him with his foot at this speed would undoubtedly break something. He immediately hopped up to jump over him, but the tip of his shoe caught on the edge of his clothing.

Minoru could feel the boy's ribs crying out through his foot, but focusing on that had been a mistake.

Tachikawa, Ninomiya, Kako, Miwa, and Minoru had rushed in from five directions to deal with Yuki.

There was naturally another attacker on his other side.

"Ah."

He spoke in surprise and collided with Miwa at tremendous speed. Even if the boy's attacks could not cause much damage when not in a Trion Body, another Trigger-user was a different story. The sound of destruction that burst out rivalled that of Yuki's ribs a moment before.

While still curled up and vomiting, Yuki grabbed his Trigger to enter his Trion body once more.

Using this chance, he looked off to the side and managed to teleport away before he could get shot by either of the Shooters or Miwa.

* * *

The five watched as Yuki used Teleport in succession from their mixed up spots in the destroyed area.

Ninomiya was the first to react by jumping out of the building to catch up with Yuki. The others just watched him leave.

Minoru and Miwa got up while Kako and Tachikawa watched with different expressions.

Kako was the first to speak up.

"So, does anyone here actually believe this? Yuki-kun did look confused as to why we were chasing him. I seriously doubt that he actually knew the reason for all of this. Any thoughts on this?"

"I'm pretty sure that even Ninomiya doesn't believe his orders. At least the reason behind them. We all know that he isn't the type of person to do that kind of thing. And even if he was, I'm sure that Mei-chan would end up beating him to a pulp."

"Exactly."

"She is probably the reason why HQ lost any connection with his Trigger, as well as the reason why they can't force him to Bail Out." Everyone turned to Miwa, who was putting his weapons away. "As for believing this or not... All I can say is that we have our orders."

"Even so, Loki still watches over his former team. The directors could link them to this, so I doubt he would do anything that would put them in that kind of situation. They are safe from that kind of thing right now since Meimei and Shinoda-san are watching after them."

Kako nodded towards the others. She closed her eyes and started thinking about everything that was currently going on.

She knew that Minoru was doing the same as her when going after Yuki - that is, pulling their punches. Tachikawa and Miwa were treating this like any other assignment. Ninomiya was just being himself by trying to let out any and all frustration on the younger agent. All of this was being done because of something they had all been told.

It was an assignment given to all A-Rank captains, and Ninomiya, but it seemed that their current group were the only agents to actually follow through with it. She shared a reason with Minoru while Tachikawa and Miwa did the same.

All she could right now was follow after Ninomiya while letting out a small sigh.

 _I just hope that everything is solved quickly. Things will turn nasty if_ those women _enter the fray._

* * *

Yuki looked around to make sure that he wasn't being followed anymore. He had Bagworm on so that they wouldn't be able to find him using Radar.

He was currently hiding between branches in a rather large tree. The tree was located in a park near the Yagura Branch. It made getting to his branch easier, but that also meant he would have to be more careful.

The idea that Border had contacted his branch to make sure he was captured ran through his mind a few times.

 _I'm sure that Sensei wouldn't let them do something like that. Even Kido-san has trouble dealing with him. No way he would-_

"O stupid, piece of shit brother~~ I've come here to rip you fuckin' head off your shoulders~!"

That voice was something Yuki could not ignore.

He looked down to see Kushikage staring straight up at him. It was hard to tell if she was staring at him directly or just in his general direction. Either way, he knew the look in her eyes all too well.

He could hear her start counting down from three while getting her large blade ready to cut the tree down. That was something he wanted to keep from happening. The tree was an important part of the park, meaning that there would be trouble from both sides if it was cut down like nothing from a Border agent.

Knowing that there was no proper way out of this, he did the sensible thing and jumped out of the tree and on to the ground behind her.

Idōgetsu was already within his grasp, being held in a reverse grip.

He could see her just about ready to strike the three, and looked ready to go through with it just for the fun of it.

 _This is dangerous enough already. The others could show up at any time, and this woman is something else altogether. If I don't leave now... I won't have a chance to leave at all._

With that thought in mind, Yuki prepared to use Teleport again.

At this point it was a bit risky since he had taken some hits already. He had stopped the leaking Trion from his feets, but he was still at a lost when it came to Trion. That meant he needed to be more conservative when it came to attacking and escaping.

There would be a very small window for him to escape, so he had to make the most of it right now.

He got ready for the exact moment she went in for an attack.

When she was only a inch or so away, he would have his chance.

"...!?"

He was surpsied when he saw her raise her blade above her head.

The situation just changed drastically.

 _Crap! What the hell am I suppose to do now!?_

With the way she stood now, Kushikage had access to a range of attacks. She could bring down her blade for a large strike, swing it around while using the downward momentum to get everything around her, or even use it as a quick defense. If Yuki used Teleport, which would still put him within her range, he would be cut in half so quickly that he wouldn't have a chance to defend or escape.

His only choices were to take the risk of Teleport, attack her right now, or wait for the others to appear and apprehend him.

There was no way for him to win or escape at this point.

He tightened his grip on Idōgetsu as frustration consumed him.

Attack and take the risk of being held back?

Take the risk of using Teleport to escape?

Get captured and take the risk of getting in trouble he didn't deserve?

These were all his options, and none of them were winning situations. Everything was a risk at this point. Nothing guaranteed his safety.

 _"Get ready to run."_

Hearing a voice go through his head, Yuki did as it said by putting Idōgetsu back in its holster.

He could see Kushikage tilt her head a bit to the side as he did this, but paid more attention to the thing that was coming towards them at an amazing speed. It was just out of view, but he managed to get a glimpse of it from the corner of his eye.

That thing was Takaoto Mei.

Like a rocket, she appeared before Kushikage with her fist ready to strike.

This had forced the older woman to lower her large blade in order to block the powerful attack. She felt the struggle between the two more than usually. Probably because she had not been prepared for the strike.

Yuki was going to ask her what was going on but had no time as a rain of shots came towards him once more. It was more concentrated on him, so Mei and Kushikage didn't worry about being hit.

 _"Don't run yet."_

Yuki wondered why she had told him that.

But he listened her and stood still.

As the rain came down, something tapped his back as a large, green dome appeared around him.

Looking back, he saw that it was Murakami Kou with his Raygust in hand.

He linked his own Trion with Murakami's so that the rain of shots only cracked the strong defense, but not actually break through.

"Damn."

"You fuckin' suck at taking people out~! Don't worry... I can handle them all!"

"..."

Just as Kushikage moved to change her position, Mei brought up her other arm, forcing the flaming-haired woman to move at an awkward angle once again. This time there was no chance of her moving withing getting hit by a powered punch.

 _"Mei, Kou, do either of you know what is going? Thanks, by the way."_

 _"Listen, I have already placed Teleport Markers for us to get away. Murakami had changed his Triggers for this, so he'll be fine as well. Just get ready to teleport to one of them. I'm sending the locations to you two. We'll meet up at the marked area later, got it?"_

 _"Yeah!"_

Murakami continued to keep up the defense, with the help of Yuki, as the other four chasers came into view.

They could all see blobs of Trion around Kako, cubes of Trion around Minoru, and Miwa with his gun out.

All at once, they fired their shots. None of them seemed to care about the area and just let loose everything they had. Everything was directed directly on the green dome containing Yuki and Murakami.

If this made it through then there was no chance of of the two being protected surviving. Their Trion wouldn't be enough to stop the whole barrage.

That left only one option.

 _"Now!"_

Without a single word being said, the three on the defensive were gone.

The barrage of shots slammed into the ground with enough force to break the ground apart.

Kushikage ended up leaning forward without anything there pushing against her.

The other landed on the ground while Ninomiya clicked his tongue.

He looked more mad that any of them had seen before. This was a side they had not seen too often. He was always the type to stay calm and not betray his emotions, so this was something else.

Meanwhile, Kushikage started laughing like she had been told the something very funny.

"We have to report this."

Miwa was the one who decided to speak up and say what was on their minds.

"We just clarified that he is getting help. Takaoto was a given, but having Murakami helping him... Things will get more difficult."

The other three could only nod their heads in agreement.

* * *

Five people sat at a large table in a lightened room within Border's main base. All of them had a range of expressions, or lack of, but they were all thinking something similar. They had gotten a report from the captain of Border's #7 A-Rank squad telling them how their assignment was going.

The news was anything but good, although it was what they expected.

"We had already planned for Takaoto to help him. What was unexpected was Suzunari-1's ace showing up."

"In a way, that too was obvious. Tsukiko and Murakami are very close to each other. Of course they would help each other out. We should be glad that Taiyōko decided to help us out."

"If you really think she did that just to help us then I would have to tell you to get out. Her helping us out was just a coincidence. She was probably just using that as an excuse to attack her brother."

"I'm just glad that they were fighting in a less populated area. That makes the cleanup easier."

Director Shinoda listened to the conversation happening between directors Netsuki, Kinuta, and Karasawa as they spoke about the report they had just received. While his ears were on those three, his eyes were on Commander Kido.

The man in charge continued to face forward without looking at anyone else in the room. His attention was solely on what was in front of him, namely the door at the other end of the room. Even then, he wasn't even paying any attention to the door itself.

Every since they had given this assignment to the A-Ranks, and former A-Rank, Commander Kido was stayed silent and focused. It almost seemed like he was thinking about the whole thing in general.

They were all questioning the authenticity of what they had received earlier in the day, but it would seem that there was really no choice. The source wasn't some random person or even a low-ranking agent. The ones that had sent the evidence were the police.

This brought about many issue.

1) One of their high-ranking agent had done something they shouldn't.

2) It reflected poorly on Border as a whole and brought worry.

3) Getting the police to stay quiet about the whole thing until they figured it out.

Director Shinoda let out a sigh as he turned to the other directors.

"Damn that brat! Why couldn't he just come quietly!"

"That's probably because we had sent people to 'capture' him instead of calmly asking him to come over here. He's already a cautious person to begin with, having people tail him like that while also forcing him to do that would set off alarm bells for any sane person."

"That is exactly why we sent those guys out. Isn't he on good terms with Tachikawa, Hatohara, and Kako?"

"To be fair, didn't you tell them to do this very carefully, Kinuta-san? Like what was just said, he's a very cautious person. If those guys were _too careful_ he would see right through it with no problem."

"Tch. It's that damn blood running through his veins. That whole family gives us all unnecessary trouble."

Director Shinoda was having a bit of trouble keeping calm at these comments. The respect for the former soldiers wasn't there, and even less respect was shown to their children. One of which he was very fond of.

Even so, he kept everything in check.

He didn't let his emotions show.

All he did was turn back to Commander Kido and asked, "What's next?"

There was a moment of silence. No one said anything as they waited on the next order.

Commander Kido rubbed his scar for a few seconds before looking over at the one who had asked him the question.

"What do you think would be best at the moment? You know him rather well, so you should know how to properly deal with him."

Director Shinoda nodded.

"We should take a much less aggressive approach. We have tried his cellphone already, no answer. He probably left it at home. Since that seems to be the case, we should contact one of the ones helping him. Tell them what is going on and go from there. Once they get him here we can discuss what was brought in from the police."

One look around showed that the other directors seemed to be on board with the idea. Director Kinuta was mumbling under his breath, but had no objections. Director Netsueki looked relieved to have a way to end this peacefully and without any more destruction to the city. Even Commander Kido seemed to like the idea. The only one that didn't look too sure was the last one.

"That's a great idea and all, but isn't he the only person any of us know who can actually turn his truths into lies and lies into truths?"

Director Karasawa spoke up with a look of uncertainty.

"Since that's the case, who is to say that he won't be lying to us the whole time while speaking as if it's the truth? We can't rely on Takaoto since she's helping him out right now. And even if we hooked him up to a lie detector, he knows how to get around that. He never shows any sign of lying when he does."

That got things going again.

They all knew that it was the truth.

Tsukiko Yuki had once been known as Taiyōko Kiyoshi - although that was awhile ago. That was a lie that had been there since he changed himself. He still had the personality of Taiyōko Kiyoshi, yet played the part of Tsukiko Yuki so well that his lie had become the truth. At the same time, his truth was also a lie.

He was the only person in Border who could turn his truths into lies and lies into truths without a single thought, and so well that even something like a lie detector could not prove him right or wrong.

Director Shinoda didn't want to have that kind of thought in his mind - the thought that Yuki would lie to them on a matter like this - but he knew that it was still a possibility.

"Very well."

They all turned back to Commander Kido.

"We will continue the hunt. From now on, every agent in Border will be on the lookout for Tsukiko Yuki. If any C-Rank finds him then they will report it. If a B-Rank agent finds him, they are to follow him while contacting us. If an A-Rank happens to find him, they are to try to capture him, inform us, and wait for backup. If needed."

This was not good.

The whole situation had changed to something drastic.

Director Shinoda was truly worried about what would happen within just the day.

* * *

Yuki staggered as he landed on the ground.

This whole ordeal was mentally taxing on him.

He was grateful for the help he had just gotten from his girlfriend and best friend, but he couldn't focus too much on that right now. He decided to get out of his Trion Body and walk around in his real body.

He clung to the nearby wall while also clutching his ribs. The pain from getting accidentally kicked by Minoru was still there, and throbbing. He felt like he could pass out at any moment, but that would cause him issues.

He just had to deal with it and hopefull make it to the spot that Mei had said was the meetup spot.

The only thing was that it was around three miles away.

 _I can make it. Just focus on my destination and nothing else._

His legs felt weak and his breathing was getting shallow.

Due to a certain incident, his body had taken in things that it shouldn't. Now his body was a deteriorating one that could fail him at any point in time.

One of those times was now.

Without any warning, he felt everything in his body start to hurt and coughs start to come up. Trying to keep everything in was in issue as well, although one that he could manage. A hand over his mouth kept him more focused.

"..."

Even with the determination to continue on, and a focused mind, his body continued to be in pain. His heart was pounding, his pulse racing, his stomach twisting and turning, his face getting more pale, and his whole body started to shake. What's more was that his ribs were in even more pain than before.

It became far too difficult to continue on like this.

His conscious was starting to go as well.

The pain was too immense for him right now.

So he started to fall forward.

"What the hell are you doing out if you're this sick? Shouldn't Shitokei or Murakami be watching over you?"

Someone had caught him just before he hit the ground.

The person was rough when handling him, but he could feel the person trying to be careful so that he wouldn't be in more pain.

The voice was easy enough to recognize, so a smile came to his face.

"Why the hell are you smiling? Hey! Don't go passing out on me now! Where's your Trigger! Get in your Trion Body so you can make it back to your house or something!"

Yuki coughed a few times before slowly opening his eyes.

"Kage... I can't go back in...my Trion Body... I'm about to Bail Out... I need to reform it... But I also...need to be ready...to run..."

"What kind of crap are you saying? Look, just use your Trigger so we can actually talk! I don't want to have to carry you to the hospital again!"

"... Fine... Just...go somewhere...private..."

Doing as he was told Kageura Masato put Yuki's arm over his shoulder before moving between two buildings. The visable was terrible if someone were to try and look through from afar. It would be fine if they were there.

He placed Yuki on the ground as the other brought out his Trigger once more.

Once he was in the Trion Body, Kageura could see the damage he had taken. He was surprised that his friend had taken so much damage. It made him wonder just what he had faced to get to this point.

Yuki let out a sigh as he pulled out Idōgetsu and put it on his lap.

He looked up at Kageura.

"Thanks, Kage."

"Yeah. Now tell me who, or what, did this crap to you. They had to be crazy strong. Or were you just not trying?"

"Long story short, Kako, Miwa, the damn airhead, Kei-san and Mino were after me for some reason. I ended up in a tree, Kushi found me and almost cut the tree down. Mei and Kou saved my ass and I ended up teleporting here. Then you found me."

"That jackass Ninomiya and Tachikawa I can understand, but Phantom Hag and those two? What kind of crap did you do to them?"

"Nothing. Nothing that I know of at least. They had said that the directors wanted to talk to me, since I left my phone at home, but they were way off from seeming natural."

"Of course you would be able to tell."

"Whatever. They gave the feelings of being unsure. It was basically coming off of them like sweat."

Yuki let out another sigh as he stood up.

"I'm suppose to meet up with Kou and Mei, so I guess I'll be seeing you."

"Hold up a damn minute. No way am I just going to let you go. With all the shit you just told me, and what I just saw, no way I'm not going with you. Besides, you apparently need back-up if those five are after your ass."

Yuki could only shake his head and resign to this.

There was no way that he could argue against Kageura on this matter.

 _Not like it's a bad thing. I'm not dragging him into this, so he can't complain. Besides, I do need more people on my side._

Yuki gave a grateful smile to his friend, which was returned with a grin.

With someone else at his side it would be more difficult to capture him without being liable for property damage. That would then slow them down because of Director Netsuki.

It was at times like these that he was glad to have friends like these - ones he could rely on in dire situations.

"So, Kage-"

Yuki was stopped when something fluttered over his head, covering his sight.

Thinking that it was another attack, he grabbed Idōgetsu and prepared to teleport away again.

His worries were eased when he heard another familiar voice speak as the thing on his head was taken off and put on his shoulders instead.

"...Apologizes. ...I missed. ...Please. ...Put this on. ...That way you can be more concealed."

Yuki did as he was told and out his arms through the coat that was over his shoulders. He grabbed the hood to put it up as well, covering his face in the process.

The one who had put the coat over him was a tall man with gray, grassy hair and a plain expression. Without his American-like jacket he was left with cargo pants and a Chinese-style traditional shirt. Even without the jacket, he still pulled off the look better than anyone else.

Pyrínas nodded his head as he looked at Yuki.

"...Very good."

"Thanks, Pyrínas. But how did you find me? I figured Mei cut off any connection to my Trigger."

"...She trusted me enough. ...To keep track of you, that is. ...That is how she found you before."

"I see."

Kageura looked at the Autonomous Trion Soldier with a lot of caution. Even if Yuki was fine with him, that didn't mean that he wasn't after his friend. After all, he wasn't getting any kind of feeling from the guy.

That meant this man - Pyrínas - felt nothing towards him.

Yuki looked over and gestured at his Branch's babysitter, already knowing what the #2 B-Rank squad captain was thinking.

"Kage, this is Pyrínas. Pretty sure you two haven't met yet. He's fine."

The tall man gave a bow, but otherwise said nothing at all.

That's when Kageura felt it. That strange feeling that only came from a very few amount of people. Yuki a moment ago being an example of it.

Gratitude.

This man was grateful to Kageura. For what? He could only guess that it was helping out his friend.

That was a rather stupid reason, in his opinion. Of course he would help his friend when he really needed it.

Not dwelling on it anymore, he got ready to head out with the two of them.

As he did so, he felt something vibrate in his pocket.

He pulled out his phone to see that he had gotten a message. Once from Border.

 **Everyone, be on the lookout for Tsukiko Yuki. All C-Ranks are to report in on his whereabouts. All B-Ranks are to follow him and report in on his whereabouts. All A-Ranks are to capture him, report in on his whereabouts, and wait for backup, if needed.**

Curious as to what Kageura was looking at, Yuki took a peak and frowned. Now it wasn't limited to just those who had been chasing him before. Every Border agent would be looking for him now.

This was different than dealing with only a few A-Ranks. Now that he had all of Border against him that would mean that he was far outnumbered, even with the added assistance.

All of this was being done for a reason that neither Yuki nor Kageura knew. This manhunt was being conducted on some unknown factor that seemed to be spreading like wildfire. It may have been from the directors, but that also meant that they had spent a good amount of time contemplating this all.

He looked up at Kageura to see his reaction to this.

He was unsurprised when the B-Rank angrily typed on his phone with such ferocity that it threatened to break his phone.

It took only a few seconds for his phone to vibrate three times.

Kageura only took quick glances at the messages before speaking up.

"Kageura Squad will back you up!"

Yuki gave his own grin at hearing this.

Three more people on his side.

* * *

From: Kageura Masato

 **You all better ignore that message! We're helping Kiyoshi out! Got it!?**

From: Kitazoe Hiro

 **Oh~ I'm fine with helping Tsuki out~**

From: Ema Yuzuru

 **Alright. I'm guessing you are with Tsukiko-senpai?**

From: Nire Hikari

 **Right-o! Tell him that he owes me some of Suzume-chan's latest doujinshi though!**


	2. Uranometria

**Chapter 2:** Uranometria

* * *

Where the stars are

* * *

The message they had gotten was something they had never expected to see. It came out of nowhere and seemed like some kind of sick joke that one of the more annoying squads would send.

Even so, it wasn't just them who had gotten the message. They knew this because they were being swarmed by multiple agents, all of whom were asking what was going on concerning their former captain. The swarm had appeared only moment after receiving the message.

The team's official leader - Kotowari Takeshi - was shrinking into his large clothes and scarf. The people gathering around were a bit too much for him to handle at the moment. Knowing the reason behind this message was important to him, but he couldn't focus too much on it when there were people who were crowding around.

To his right was their main Attacker - Toby Awdry. He was pushing everyone back, yelling one thing or another. His words got mixed in with the other voices that surrounded them. It was clear to see that his patience was running thin as he started reaching for his Trigger while grabbing people's faces.

The other person who was busy getting crushed between their teammates was Taiyōko Hoshi. She wasn't using as much force as her wild teammate, but she was still trying to push everyone else away from them. She, like Takeshi, was finding it difficult to handle this many people.

The three were stuck back-to-back as they dealt with the many voices that came at them.

"What's going in with Tsukiko!?"

"Are you guys really gonna track him down!?"

"It's an order! You better follow it!"

The voices were loud and mixing together, making it difficult to hear who was saying what. Everything was being said at such a loud volume, and with little breathing time, that it was all just starting to sound like insects at night.

The three Kotowari Squad members were just about ready to use Teleport to escape from everyone while they figured out what was going on.

Just before they could get their Triggers, something happened that made everyone shut their mouths.

"Hey! If you don't honestly get away from those three then I'll _honestly_ shoot you all!"

One voice rang out over all the others as a sharp clicking sound was heard.

Everyone turned towards the voice to see Misaki Suzumebachi standing straight and tall, her special sniping Trigger in her right hand while her Lightning was in the other. The expression she wore was one of pure irritation.

Some were quick to heed her warning while others thought nothing of it and went back to questioning the other three members,

That was their mistake.

After all...

"What the hell did I honestly just say?"

She wouldn't let others torment her teammates and underclassman like that.

Following through with her threat, she brought up her Lightning to point it at the ones who still stood there.

She pulled the trigger and fired the gun.

The shot had missed everyone, but she would make sure that the next one wouldn't.

"Get away from them. _Now._ We honestly don't have time to deal with your crap. Yuki-san is no longer our captain, so anything particular you want to know about the message we honestly don't have the answer too."

That was all that needed to be said for the rest of the crowd to leave.

With a sigh, Suzume put away her guns.

She flipped her hair once before crossing her arms under her breasts.

She turned to her teammates with a worried look. They were all strong in both mind and body, but that didn't stop her from worrying about them at times like this.

They seemed fine enough as they walked up to her. Toby looked just as irritated as her, but the other two seemed to just be thinking about everything.

"I've been trying to get in contact with Yuki-san or Mei-san but neither one is answering. I decided to honestly call the Yagura Branch. They're having issues and don't know where Yuki-san is, so they're also out of the question."

This really was troubling.

Yuki not answering was one thing, but Mei was a different story. She was always there for any of them and would always answer their calls.

Mei was the one who stayed with them when they were at the low point after the Aftokrator Invasion. She was helping them when it came to fighting and general studies. If she wouldn't answer them then they would feel like they were losing someone important again.

"Come on, you three."

Even so, they knew better. They all knew that she would not leave them like their former captain had. So that brought to question what exactly she was doing. If she was not answering then there was a good reason for it.

With that kind of thought in mind, Suzume turned around without another word and started to walk away.

The other three followed her.

"Senpai, what are we doing?"

"Isn't it honestly obvious?"

With one more flip of the hair, she walked forward with irritation, purpose and determination.

They had a mission that they needed to accomplish.

"We're honestly going to figure out what the hell is going on. Once we do that... We'll kick Yuki-san's ass for causing us, and Mei-san, so much trouble again!"

* * *

Akasora Chishi liked to think of himself as a mild person who could handle things with a calm and refreshing attitude. Even under stressful situations, he would deal with things as easily as possible.

Everyone else would never say such things.

"That damn brat. What the hell did he do this time? The fact that even Masafumi decided to lock us in means that he really screwed up this time. I'm just glad that Pyrínas was already out. I'm sure he can find that idiot and drag him back over here before I need to get out Shikifuku."

With no knowledge of what was going on, and being forced to stay in the branch office, Akasora decided to get some work done. Multiple papers were on his desk, each one having some kind of small ink splatter from where he started writing. The frustration had caused him to put too much pressure when writing while also muttering different things under his breath.

Across from him were two members of the Yagura Branch. The first was his own nephew - Tenryū Shokubuku. The second was the younger brother of the wanted Border agent - Taiyōko Mukuro. They just watched their boss in his agates state. Neither said anything, but that was more from the fact that they were also unsure as to what they should do.

"...Uncle... ...Boss..."

Akasora let out a small sigh as he put his pen down.

"It's fine, Shobu. You know that it's fine to just call me that."

"..."

"Anyways. Do either of you have any idea as to what is going on? Maybe about what my idiotic student is thinking?"

"Nooooo~ But I can tell you that Kushi-nee went out to hunt him down before we even got a message."

"What!? Wasn't someone suppose to be watching her!? We all know how much trouble she causes!"

He didn't realize just how much he had raised his voice until his nephew looked down and the A-Rank averted his gaze.

The frustration from this whole thing was really starting to show on his face. The day was still only beginning and he was already going through a lot of crap. His only hope right now was that his other former students would be able to help solve this problem.

 _Leaving everything up to just Kou, Mei, and Pyrínas is still too much. They also have their limits._

Letting out a more tamed sigh, he looked forward at the two in front of him. Both were still looking away from him.

"Alright. I want to know what you think of the situation as a whole. Do you really think that Yuki has done something so bad as to have a full on manhunt for him?"

The one to speak up, shockingly enough, was his own nephew.

"No. ...Tsukiko-sama wouldn't...do something that bad..."

The other let out a rather loud yawn before speaking.

"Pretty much. Kiyo-nii knows what he can and can't do. He's build up such a strong and fragile lie as 'Tsukiko Yuki'. He knows that anything like this would cause his lie to crumble. He wouldn't take that risk."

Akasora gave a nod at hearing all of this.

 _Of course he wouldn't let out a single yawn when speaking seriously about his family._

Those were the responses he wanted to hear. He was sure that no one in the branch would really believe that his former student would do such a stupid thing. The idiot represented the branch, and knew what exactly would happen if he did something.

That just meant that there was something else going on.

That something was the main issue here.

"Alright then. Glad to hear that. I'm going to give you two an assignment. Shobu, you can take the rest of your squad, if you want. If not, that's fine as well."

"Hm? But aren't we suppose to stay here~? We can't just disobey ooooooorders~"

"Like you care about that."

"...What is the assignment...?"

"I want you guys to find out what's going on. I'm sure that there are others helping him out right now, but that means that they are also targets. We have yet to show that we are on his side, so we have more room to move around. Can you guys manage it?"

"What if people assume that we are helping Kiyo-nii?"

"Fight, run, trick them. Do whatever you want at that point. I'm leaving it up to you guys."

It was obvious that, at this point, Akasora was throwing everything away just so that they would have a solid answer to what was going on.

"And what about the others?"

"Futoyuki can't really keep his mouth shut, and Bōdō is stuck with him. Those two will be staying here in case Yuki comes back or something. I'm not going to tell them about your assignments. Shobu are you going to take the other two?"

"...No..."

"Alright. They will also stay here. Nakagami will help you two out, if you need it."

Mukuro let out a yawn that turned into a sigh at the end.

His two sisters were out doing one thing or another while his brother was currently in trouble. That left no one for him to follow. It was irritating to not have something like that, but he would have to manage.

A certain person came to mind as that throught went into his mind. It made him a bit mad to think about it, but he figured that now wasn't the time to think about unnecessary things.

Although he did have a question that was necessary.

"And I'm guessing you are going to seeeeeee Shinoda-san?"

Akasora stood up with a bitter smile on his face.

"Yeah. I want to talk to him for a bit. Apparently we have a lot of things to talk about now. Now then..."

The three started for the door.

They had their jobs to do.

This frustrating issue would be settled, one way or another.

"Let's get to work."

* * *

The message they had received was not the reason they were on edge. It was because their captain looked ready to fire Hound at just about anything he was looking at. They all made sure to stay out of his line of sight so that they wouldn't be shot at.

Ninomiya Squad had hardly seen their captain as mad as he is right now. Only one person could get him mad right away, but never this mad before. That just meant that the one person who could manage to get him mad had succeeded in getting him this pissed.

They already knew why as well.

His #1 enemy, that he hated with his whole being, had done something so stupid that Border needed to start a manhunt for him. All he needed to hear was that that person had done something stupid to be on the scene. Having to know that something as impossible as that person doing that was enough to piss him off beyond belief.

They all knew that this wasn't something he would ever do - unless it involved his former squad - so it was no wonder Ninomiya like this.

No one had to say anything yet.

Even so, Inukai decided to speak up.

"So... I'm guessing we're going to be on the hunt too?"

The sharp look he got from his captain made him take a step back.

"Of course. We are going to find that damn faker and drag him back by the neck. Even if it's not true, he needs to get his ass over here and say that outright instead of running away like a coward. I won't let him get away again."

"R-right..."

It was rather reassuring to know that Ninomiya truly didn't believe in what was going on.

 _Is this like the saying, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer"?_

Ninomiya knew a lot about certain people. He knows his boyfriend and team very well. He knows his #1 enemy just as well. The amount he didn't know about them all was minimal.

"Ninomiya-san, are you sure that it wouldn't be better to prove that he's innocent? That way we don't have to actually search for him?"

"Maybe so, but that puts us in an odd position."

 _It's only odd for you!_

Inukai knew what his captain meant, but he also knew that they would easily mange everything. The thing that would be in an odd position was Ninomiya. This would mean he would be helping Yuki out.

 _He wants to help, but in a way that doesn't look like he's helping at all. Jeez! These two just make things so much more complicated than they need to be!_

Inukai let out a defeated sigh as she shrugged and shook his head.

There was no way out of this.

They would join the hunt for Yuki simply because their captain refused to properly help his favorite enemy.

His pride was far too great to be admitting anything like that.

Even so, the Gunner already knew that his friend's pride was just as large. There was no doubt that he would reject that assistance anyways.

 _Right, right. I need to remember who I'm dealing with,_ he thought.

 _The day they actually work together without trying to take each other out would be the day the world ends._ Not a pleasant thought, but one he knew was true.

"What's our first move then? I can guess a few spots he's at, but he's too good to actually go to any of them."

"It's best to assume that he won't be going to his former squad or branch. Kotowari Squad will have a bit to worry about since their Operator is helping him. Suzunari is in a similar position on that matter. His branch is probably being heavily watched right now, so that is also out."

"Going to his school is an option as well. Maybe asking one of his classmates?"

"We don't know his relationship with his classmates. They might not be much help."

Tapping his fingers in a nearby surface a few times seemed to be the best thing for him at the moment. His expression was a thoughtful and irritated one.

"Hiyami... See if there are any markers throughout the city. Can you mange it?"

"Markers?"

"Ah! Mei-san or Murakami may have put markers down for easy escapes!"

"Yes. He might do the same. If we can find each marker, we can have a better chance at finding at least one of them."

"I see. I'll get right to it."

"While she does that, we'll head out. The sooner we find that faker, the better."

 _Never thought I would hear him say that._

"...I think I might need to burn off my tongue..."

 _And there it is._

Inukai decided that it would be best to keep his thoughts to himself. Although, he could see that Tsuji and Hiyami were thinking similar thoughts.

"We won't be looking for just the faker. Murakami and Shitokei are also people we need to look out for."

"There are a few others I can think of. Besides Kotowari Squad, there's also ones like Kageura and Arashiyama that may help him. Not to mention Yagura and Tamakoma."

"Very true. Alright, that's the list of people we need to watch out for. If any of them seem to be doing anything suspicious, we'll take them out and question them."

The orders were given, so all that was left was to go through with them.

Ninomiya Squad had no problems with this whole thing - besides not believing that Yuki would do something so bad - but there was something that made them a bit hesitant.

The whole time, Ninomiya had been enraged and looking like he would shoot at any moment. Even with his rage, Ninomiya was making sure to keep one thing a secret from them.

The reason they had to hunt the A-Rank down.

He seemed like he was going to say something at certain times, but never did. They didn't want to ask since he seemed like he was mad enough already. It still lingered in their mind, though.

* * *

When he had left saying that he needed to do something important they didn't think too much about it.

When he had returned saying that he needed their help in protecting Yuki they started questioning what the hell had happened when he was gone.

That was around the same time they had received the message saying that they should be involved with the manhunt for Yuki.

Kuruma quickly thought of what was going on and the two options that were being laid out in front of him.

1) His squad's ace was asking his team for help in keeping Yuki safe while they figure out what Yuki was being accused of.

2) Orders had been sent in to take Yuki in to custody at any cost.

He felt conflicted since both options seemed to determine how things ended up with their team.

If they went with Murakami then that would put the Suzunari Branch in a terrible position. Although they would most likely have other branches on their side. Yagura Branch being an obvious one.

If they went with their orders then that would guarantee insubordination from Murakami. Kuruma knew just how close his team's ace was to the representative of the newly made branch.

"Kuruma-san, we're gonna help him, right!? Yuki-san needs help! Kou-san is even going so far as to perform a weird dogeza that makes it look like he's about to rotate the whole room!"

Shaking his head a bit, Kuruma looked down to see that Murakami was performing an amazing dogeza that truly did look like he would do something as amazing as turning the whole room around just to get his point through. It was actually quite mesmerizing if he continued to stare at his ace.

He looked over at Kon to see her just looking right back at him.

She pointed to the Sniper that was next to him.

Taking a look himself, he saw Taichi looking at him with wide eyes. It was hard to give any sort of argument when his ace was performing a weird dogeza while his Sniper was looking at him with those wide eyes.

He already knew how close Murakami was to Yuki, but he had to remind himself just how much Taichi looked up to the A-Rank.

There had been many times when Yuki had ended up saving something or someone from Taichi's clumsiness. Taichi himself was saved from a few nasty falls before. What's more was that the older one never seemed to get mad about any of the accidents caused by the Sniper. It was amazing when one thought about exactly how many times Yuki had been there.

Kuruma himself was rather fine with Yuki as well. The two had spoken casually before when the latter had taken time to visit Suzunari on his days off. He had said a few times that he wanted to make sure that Kuruma was still mentally fine with what he had to deal with at times. It really was a kind gesture.

He blew some air through his nose.

 _It's not like we weren't_ _going to help in the first place._

Letting out a small laugh, he turned back to his oddly positioned ace.

"Of course we're going to help him. We'll probably get in trouble for it later, but I'll handle that. It's my job as squad leader, after all."

Murakami shot his head up with amazement in his eyes.

Taichi had a similar expression from next to his captain.

"So, what should we do first?"

He continued to look at Murakami as the boy stood up.

It was safe to assume that Murakami knew what to do when it was most likely that he was there to help his best friend.

"Senpai said that we should meet up at the place she marked. She wants to go over everything while we have the chance."

Kon took this time to speak up from her desk.

"You better go now then. Two squads are on their way here."

"Can you tell who they are?"

"Ninomiya and Ikoma."

The surprise showed on their faces.

Ninomiya Squad going to them was to be expected, but having Ikoma Squad going to them was confusing. It could have been an order from the directors, but there was still something off with that.

 _They would probably send an A-Rank squad instead of Ikoma Squad. I'm sure Ninomiya Squad is just on their way because of Murakami._

Kuruma nodded a few times as he entered his Trion Body.

"How much escape time will we have if we leave right now?"

"It depends on who you would rather have going after you. Ikoma Squad is coming from the south while Ninomiya Squad is coming from the east."

"Going west would mean that Ikoma Squad would reach us first. Going north would mean that Ninomiya Squad would reach us first."

"Ah! Kuruma-san, I have an idea!"

Kuruma looked over to see Murakami giving him an odd look.

"Y-yes...?"

"Lie!"

"...What?"

"Let's spit up. Then you can lie your ass off to the two squads. Keep lying until the truth is completely obliterated and there is no trace of it left. You're so honest and earnest that there is no way that they can tell you are lying!"

"Eh!? What!? I think you just said something a delinquent would say! A certain fox-like one, to be exact! Murakami, is Tsukiko rubbing off on you in the wrong way!? Have you become someone who can no longer see the good way out of a situation and instead goes straight to lies and violence!? Should I be worried!? Did he really just trick you into helping him!? I'm not so sure we should help now!"

"Kuruma-san, Kuruma-san, what are you saying!? Of course we still need to help Yuki-san! That way you can ask him how to undo the brainwashing he obviously did on Kou-san! See!? It's better that we help him!"

"Ah! You're right! Good job, Taichi!"

"They're getting closer."

Kuruma took in a breath before steeling his resolve.

He ignored the odd expression on Murakami's face and the amazed one on Taichi's and instead focused on their plan of escape.

"Right! I will hate to do it, but you have a point! We will split up and meet at the spot Takaoto-san said to meet up! Until then, I will lie and say that we are indeed chasing after Tsukiko!"

Murakami nodded his head.

He told them that he would meet up with them later before disappearing from in front of them.

Kuruma was surprised by this, but figured that it was the Special Teleport that Yuki was use to using. That was something he didn't want to think about when he had just heard something terrible come from his ace's mouth.

He shook his head a few times before heading for the door.

 _Right! Time to lie!_

* * *

"So, what are we going to do?"

"Follow the orders."

Konami nodded her head.

Tamakoma, like most other people, did not believe the crap that they were getting. The difference between them and some of those people was the fact that they would follow the orders.

The reason behind this was that they were still Border's finest.

What's more was that they also knew just how much, and how well, Yuki could lie. To be sure that he was innocent they would have to go to extreme measures. One of those measures was to capture him and go from there.

That was why Kizaki Reiji, Konami Kire, and Karasuma Kyosuke were standing outside of the Tamakoma branch office. They were ready to head out for the hunt.

Before leaving they had seen the expressions on Mikumo Squad's faces and decided that they would be the only ones to go.

 _Even if they don't know him as well as we do, they are still uncertain about going after him. It's best that they don't join in._

As the thought went through Kizaki's head, he remembered that one of their solo agents had already gone out in search for the missing A-Rank.

Jin had been gone before the message was sent out, but Ketsueki had been there. The man had rushed out for the search.

Even with all of them going out for the search it was still very unlikely that they could find him.

There had been a time when Kizaki himself was challenged by the missing A-Rank. It was a short fight that ended in an overwhelming victory for him.

This was different.

From the information they had gotten, Yuki wasn't fighting back but instead he was escaping. That was a big difference since he was in the top tier when it came to agents with good evasion skills and anything involving stealth.

Even if they did manage to catch him, figuring out if he was lying or not would be just as difficult as the capture.

They knew that Kuga had a Side Effect that makes him a human lie detector. They also knew that Yuki was the king of lies. He had a silver tongue that was able to turn his truths into lies and lies into truths.

"Alright. We'll start by going to the other branch offices. Yagura and Suzunari will be difficult, but I'm sure that we can get them to help us. Maybe..."

"That 'maybe' could be the difference between making things work and messing everything up."

"I know. That doesn't change that they are actually important to this whole thing. Yagura for obvious reasons, but Suzunari's help could make things easier to find out where Murakami is. He may end up leading us to Yuki."

"Guess you're right."

"From there we will decide who to join up with. Konami, you and Kyosuke go to Yagura first. I'll go to Suzunari. Go clockwise around the city for the other branches."

"Got it!"

"What if we come across someone helping him out?"

"Try and catch them. Keep any fighting away from groups of people, if you can. If they end up getting away, make sure you have them marked so that we can track them."

Karasuma gave a nod without another word.

The first thought that came to his mind was Starmaker.

"Alright. We'll go now. If you have any questions, or anything to say then do so while you're on your way."

The other two A-Ranks nodded their heads before turning around to run.

The chase was on now.

* * *

The first thing Yuki and Kageura did when reaching their destination was let out groans.

In front of them was a familiar buildings with a few familiar faces in front of it.

"Damn. I forgot about weekend classes for those who are too lazy to get their work done."

"Besides that, it really sucks that we have to end up here on a weekend. People might think we're like those guys there."

Some students who attended the school noticed the trio and waved at them. They were directed more towards Yuki while the annoying looks were directed towards Kageura.

The two understood why Mei had picked this location out of every one, but that didn't mean they weren't annoyed by the choice.

"Well, let's get going. Better to wait in there than out in the open."

"She really had to pick this place, huh?"

"...Is there a problem with this school? ...It appears to be out of the way. ...A good place to hide."

"It's not that it's a bad place to be. More like it's just a place we would rather not be. We already come here for school, so coming here right now is just a reminder that we have to go back. Also..."

As he tried to continue talking, Yuki was interrupted by someone clearing their throught.

The trio turned to see a big breasted girl with a big forehead. Her arms were crossed and her expression was one matching her stance.

"Tsk. This damn woman is another reason we didn't want to be come here."

The big breasted girl with a big forehead looked ready to smack Kageura as she spoke.

"What are you two even doing here? And who is this guy?"

"Long story or short story?"

"Make it really short. I'm ready to just toss you three out. Others are here for weekend classes, and you are distracting them by just being here."

Yuki took a step forward.

"I'm being hunted by Border for something I probably didn't do. We need to hide here."

The big breasted girl with a big forehead stood there for a few precious seconds just shaking her head.

There was no way for Pyrínas to know, but both Yuki and Kageura had a hard enough time dealing with this girl as it was. She was their class president after all. They already knew she would continue this later.

But for now...

"Alright. I'll make sure that no one knows you guys are here. But absolutely no fighting on school grounds. Got it?"

They knew this would be her answer.

"Thanks, President. We'll make sure to at least try and listen to your lecture later on."

"I would say that you should listen to it in general and not just 'try' but I'm pretty sure you need to hide now. Just get going and I'll annoy you two later."

Doing as they were told, the trio quickly made their way to the back of the school.

The area was spacious, but at the same time concealed enough that they would have a nice hiding spot where they wouldn't have to worry about being spotted by someone just walking around.

In this kind of situation it would be best to say that they had the field advantage. They knew the school well enough to not get caught, even by the other students.

.

Yuki let out a small sigh as he sat against a tree.

Kageura chose to lean on the same tree while Pyrínas stood in front of them.

"Pyrínas, what's it like at Yagura?"

"...From what I saw. ...They are being carefully watched."

"That's to be expected. Even if they're only going after you, those guys are also targets."

"...Taking down a target's main base is always good. ...That was used on Border, correct? ...Regardless. ...That's neither here, nor there."

"Yeah. That tactic is always good when there is a large amount of fighters with the same objective. Currently, we have a good amount, but not enough to be classified as an army."

"...If I may."

"Yes?"

"...What do 'We' consist of?"

"Right. That's actually a good thing to go over," Yuki said as he looked over at his friend. "Kage, Suzunari? Yes or no? Thoughts?"

"Better to assume that they are on our side. Those guys are useful like that."

"Right. So 'We' consist on Kageura Squad, Suzunari-1, Mei, and Pyrínas. That's not including me, of course. In total, we have ten people on our side. On the other side of that, Border has every A-Rank squad and almost every B-Rank squad on their side. I don't know about Jin, but they also have Amo on their side. Tora-san as well."

"...We are heavily outmatched in numbers."

"Well, that's not counting the ones that have a chance of not being on Border's side."

"...And who would they be?"

"Yagura, for one. That includes that woman. She just wants to fight, so she's not particularly on their side. Kotowari Squad will probably be helping us as well. Hikigane, Bakuto, Katori, and Ikoma might not be involved at all. Even if it's an order, they still do things how they like. I would like to say that Tamakoma is on our side, but that can be a coin toss at times."

"So we've got fourteen people with us. Around seventeen people who are uncategorized. And the rest after us. Those are crappy odds for us. A fight like that is gonna be hard."

"You're forgetting something, Kage."

The B-Rank captain looked down at the diagram Yuki had made in the ground.

Everything they had been talking about was there, but there were two small circles with nothing in them.

"What we are trying to achieve is not victory in a fight, rather a way out of this situation in general. We need to find out what is going on, and how to stop it. We need to ease everyone's minds that I wasn't the one doing whatever it is."

"...Ah. ...That can make things easier, or harder. ...It all depends."

Yuki nodded before speaking.

"Right. I can gather info myself, but I would still have everyone looking for me. What's more, if I'm being framed, the person, or people, who are framing me might do something about it. Basically, we either smash our way to the answer, or go about things in secret."

It was starting to come together.

Their discussion had laid out the grounds for what they needed to get done.

Once they were able to gather everyone on their side, they would be able to come up with an actual plan. For the time being, laying low seemed to be their best chance at moving around.

For someone like Yuki and Kageura, this was a very confining way of doing things. They never liked being held back or down by things and preferred to go all out from the start. This was not the time for that.

"Now then..."

As he stood up, Yuki heard something in the front of the school.

They were voices.

Very familiar ones at that.

* * *

Rushing to the front, the trio looked from behind the wall to see Murakami standing with his back to the school building. In front of his was a team of three. All of them had on Bagworm and were holding sniper rifles.

"We can vouch for you, you know? Although I'm guessing that's not something you care about."

"Right. At least that is out in the open now."

From their spot next to the building, the trio saw Murakami pulled out Kōgetsu and Raygust.

They took that as their cue to show themselves.

.

Arafune Squad got ready to overtake Murakami from the front gate of the school. There weren't many places he would be able to go from his spot. Even if he tried to use Special Teleport, they would simply wait there for Yuki to appear.

"..."

Arafune felt a small pang of emotions when Murakami decided to help out his friend instead of his mentor. At the same time, it was very understandable. His whole team was fighting the urge to switch sides.

He just didn't want his team to be targets for punishment.

Hokari and Hanzaki understood why their captain was taking Border's side on the matter, but both did want to help their friend out.

 _For now, we need to focus in this. We can figure things out later._

As the three got ready to shoot, a shadow appeared above them.

None of them looked up and instead jumped back as a figure landed in the spot between them all.

Arafune was quick to pull out his blade to block the crescent blade that went for his neck.

He saw his teammates move back while shooting at the spot behind him.

Using the position he was in, he managed to divert the opposing blade to the side, allowing him to move passed the attacker. The distance he made between them seemed small, but enough to prepare for an attack.

"Sorry about that, Kou. We didn't mean to give you a scare there."

"Blame this guy for wanting to look cool in front of the jackasses watching us right now."

"It's fine. At least you guys came out when you did."

Arafune clicked his tongue as their three opponents stood ready.

He knew why they had decided to talk instead of continuing to attack.

 _They want to stall us out to see if we'll go to their side. I'm sure they know that we are a bit hesitant when it comes to this._

He watched as Yuki took a step forward while spinning Idōgetsu like a baton.

He get ready for an instantaneous attack.

"Right! We're gonna make this quick, Tetsu. Our class president said not to fight on school grounds. So, let's go."

And so the first battle began.


	3. Vulpecula: Part 2

**Chapter 3:** Vulpecula: Part 2

* * *

The silver tongue that turns lies into truth

* * *

The four of them were the same age, yet had very different styles of combat.

What's more was that their skills were far from equal.

Tsukiko Yuki - A-Rank - was an almost uncatchable person who would use feints, sneak attacks and underhand tactics to win his fights. He would be able to easily switch his fighting style to fit his opponent, giving him a spot as an agent with high adaptability skills.

Kageura Masato - captain on Border's #2 B-Rank squad - was a rough guy who used Scorpion in a way that resembled a whip. His ferocity was hardly ever matched, but it was never simple minded. Beating down his opponents had gotten him to A-Rank before.

Murakami Kou - the ace of Suzunari-1 - had memorized multiple fighting styles from different people he had faced before. His Side Effect allowed him to memorize so much. That gave him an advantage against people who had either won against him or lost against him.

Arafune Tetsuji - captain of his own squad - had taken up sniping after getting enough points as an Attacker. Even with a gun he was still skilled with a blade. Long range attacks were fine with him, as were close range attacks. Distance wasn't much of an issue at times.

These four stood between the school building and the front gate of it. Everyone who had seen that a Border team had come onto the scene made the smart decision by moving away from the area.

That left the four of them with the room to fight close up without having to worry about others.

On one side stood a trio of classmates while the other side had a full Border team ready to fight.

 _"Kage, we will go after Yoshi and Atsushi. We're quicker on our feet than Kou and his Raygust. So, Kou, we'll leave Tetsu to you. For now at least. You can handle that, right?"_

Being only a few steps away from each other they opted to use the telepathy that came with a Border Trion Body. It had made communication with teammates easy, even if they hardly worked together. It worked more so for those who were use to dealing with each other.

These three classmates were some such people.

 _"Yeah. I can handle it. Just make sure you two are quick enough in taking them out so we can make an escape."_

 _"Hey! It's your fault for leading them here in the first place! Next time, be careful!"_

 _"No comment."_

 _"That was a comment."_

Murakami shook his head a bit as his two friends grinned.

 _"Let's just get started."_

.

Arafune made a quick jump to the right as he saw their three opponents move.

The jump was to avoid getting hit by that flying shield that was rushing towards him.

He used his right foot to stomp on the ground before turning around completely and using the momentum to block the sword that was aimed for his head.

The two pushed against each other, neither giving an inch.

 _At times likes these..._

Murakami loosened the amount of force he was using.

 _You do this._

He moved his wrist a bit so that he held the hilt of Kōgetsu in a slanted position.

Using the force that was being pushed against him, he slid his blade across the opposing one, forcing the hold of said blade to move forward.

He continued to slide the blade across the opposing one so that Arafune wouldn't have a chance to properly block.

Arafune had make a quick push up so that both their blades ended up going towards the sky.

Both of them were ready to go in for another attack.

 _"Kou. Left."_

Listening to the voice, Murakami moved to the left as Arafune brought down his blade.

He could see why he had been told to go to the left.

Arafune was pushed forward by the flying shield known as Raygust come at him from behind.

.

Yuki glanced behind to see Arafune get hit by the Raygust he had redirected.

"Now then..."

Turning forward he saw Hanzaki standing there, Egret raised to fire.

Yuki had raced over to the blond as he tried escaping. It was pointless when Yuki had simply teleported in front of him.

"Question. Do you really believe that I would do something so bad as to deserve a manhunt, Yoshi?"

"Regardless, we have our orders. We all have to make sure to capture you."

"You say that, but you have yet to fire at me."

"I know you can teleport."

"Even so, there is another team on their way. You could always try and shoot me so that they can attack. And don't lie by saying that you are still stalling for them by talking to me. I can see through that before you even say it."

"..."

"I already know that the three of you don't think of me as someone who would end up starting a war against people I know so well, but I also know that Tetsu is trying to keep you guys from getting in trouble. That's why I'm telling you guys that it would be better to help me out here. If, by the end of all of this, you guys get in trouble, just blame everything on me. If I'm declared innocent, you can blame me. If they say I'm guilty, just blame me."

Hanzaki raised his Egret.

"Just tell everyone that my lies made you think of them as truths. That way you guys don't end up in trouble. I just need you guys to trust me and help me out here."

He fired straight in front of him.

Yuki let out a sigh as he disappeared from where he stood.

The shot missed him completely.

Due to him looking forward at Hanzaki he had teleported right behind the blond.

In one quick motion he pulled out Idōgetsu and held it to Hanzaki's neck. A crescent-shaped blade appeared on the end, making it seem like a reverse guillotine.

 _Man... I really don't like doing these kinds of things when it comes to people like this. Would I even be able to pull back if it was Akane or Ema? When it comes to ones like Tokieda, Kikuchihara, and Miura it always feels like I'm at least cutting down a proper teenager. Ones like Yoshi and Tomoe always feel like I'm directing a blade at a child._

There was a time when he felt the same way about his former team.

He had always thought of his former team as just children who would grow up some time.

He had assumed they had grown after the Aftokrator Invasion, but that been proven to be a wrong assumption. They had gone towards a downward spiral when he had left.

That had made him feel like they truly were just children who could do nothing without him or Mei.

He had almost given up on them when Mei had told him about it all.

Then he decided to fight them.

It was hard on him seeing as how they were like children at the time.

This was a similar situation.

 _Even if I think of them as enemies, they're still like children in my eyes. Damn it all._

There had been many times when Yuki had taken both Hanzaki and Akane out for ice cream. Each time he could see their faces light up when tasting the sweet treat. They really did look like children at times like those.

Letting out a small sigh, he got ready to lob off the blond's head with one quick motion.

"!"

Just as he was about to do so, something caught his eye.

He made a quick second decision to teleport back a bit.

 _So they have finally arrived. Guess that's what I get for hesitating._

Looking over at who had shot at him, he saw someone he would rather have never seen on this battlefield.

 _And so another child appears. Great._

"Yuki-san... Please, just give up."

He knew that the red-haired Sniper was saying that out of worry.

It was understandable.

If he continued on like this then his punishment would just continue to grow more severe.

If he stopped right now then he would lighten the punishment.

"..."

Without a word he disappeared from where he stood and appeared next to her, one foot on the ground and the other in the air. His stance was that of a runner, making it obvious that was just just there for a second.

"-"

He rushed passed her without so much as brushing against her.

In eight quick leaps, that seemed rather large for someone his size, he was multiple buildings away.

 _As long as there is a foothold, no matter how small, you can make the distance in no time. Mix in some quick footwork movements and it might even seem like I'm using Teleport._

It had seemed like he disappeared for a few seconds, as if teleporting, when in reality that movement was just a burst of power and speed.

 _Hm. There's no way to actually pull this off if I was in my real body. This Trion Body..._

* * *

Murakami shook his head a bit when he saw what Yuki had done.

 _It was smart, but also a waste. He just revealed what he can do without any thought. I guess that's nothing new._

He faced the two were standing in front of him. One was the person who taught him while the other was someone who he had defeated.

Kumagai held her Kōgetsu tightly in her hands, yet still gave enough room so that he would not mess up her own swings.

Arafune seemed ready to chase after Yuki.

 _If he had used Teleport, they would just need to look at where he's going._

He was much more focused on what his best friend was doing than his opponents.

 _Using those moves gave him a better chance of bring up a Shield or evading._

There was no doubt that Yuki would be more than capable of such odd yet amazing feats.

People would assume that Teleport users used the Trigger because of their lack of speed. Yuki's whole being screamed lack of any type of muscle or endurance. The amount of times he had been underestimated wouldn't be able to fit on three people's hands.

 _That's what makes him scary. After all..._

After all...

 _He uses Teleport so well that he had become well known for it. They try and find ways around Teleport because of him. When they do find some way around it, their expressions are always ones of surprise when he comes up close with his speed. Having to run against him at school seems to be terrible for everyone else._

Murakami gave a mental sigh.

He didn't want his opponents to hear how resigned to fate he was when it came to his best friend.

 _Now isn't the time for this. I have to break through to reach them. Yuki is the speed. Kage is the power. I am the defense. It's best to stay together._

With that thought in mind, he ran forward.

It was a simple rush that any person could come up with.

But this action alone had caused some confusion between his opponents.

 _The basics can work just as well as any complicated plan._

If everyone could do something then they wouldn't be so ready to consider it when the time came. If it was right in front of them they may miss it. That was the idea behind this attack.

Anyone can run forward with a shield and sword and hope to strike their opponent. Because anyone could do it, hardly anyone would actually do that.

It was an action hidden in plain sight.

He knew better than to keep his eyes off of Arafune, so that was who he went after.

He used his blade to strike with an extra step. It was blocked by the opposing Kōgetsu.

He could hear the sound of rushed footsteps from behind and brought up Raygust to block Kumagai's Kōgetsu.

Both of them continued to press against him as they readied another attack.

Arafune got rid of his Bagworm while he brought out Egret. He pointed it right at Murakami.

At the same time, Kumagai readied shots at point blank.

Murakami could see a bit of hesitation in their eyes.

 _Will either of them actually listen, though? They're reason for not joining is understandable. No one wants their team to get as much trouble as they would. Even so..._

"I'll still help him."

The target for the shots had disappeared a split second before it connected.

With nothing holding them back, Arafune and Kumagai ended up leaning forward. They were not prepared for that and ended up getting hit by each other's attacks. The damage wasn't as bad as it could have been, but both could be seen with Trion leaking from their bodies.

"Damn!"

* * *

Nasu moved back as the A-Rank agent rushed towards her at amazing speed.

When she saw him move passed her Sniper she had assumed that he had used Teleport to get closer.

But there was something wrong with that.

 _He was looking in this direction from start to finish. He never turned his sights to any of the buildings he landed on. There is no way that was Teleport._

She was confused as to what had just happened.

Had reality lied to her?

Was she just imagining it?

Whatever it was, she made sure to fire at the spot he would step on next. Any damage to the buildings would cause a bit of trouble, so she made sure that it would slide over the roof and not hit it altogether.

The issue was determining where he would appear.

 _If he uses Teleport I simply have to look at the direction he is looking at. If he uses speed than it will be easier to track him down. I just need to be quick enough to catch him._

Her shots needed to be fast enough to catch him off guard. The other option was to baombard him with a large amount of shots. The issue with that was the damage to the surrounding area that it would cause.

She had to determine when to fire, and where to fire.

The use of Viper was good here since she would be able to redirect the attacks to where he went.

 _I don't want to fight him, but-_

"-!"

Before she could finish her thought she was forced to make a split second decision and move to the right. Her body was thrown off of the building with that move.

 _So fast!_

She had been focusing on him the whole time yet he had appeared right in front of her without much problem.

 _That's right! He has a rivalry with Ninomiya-san!_

The difference between Ninomiya and Nasu was certainly there. Both were skilled Shooters, but there was a reason why Ninomiya had been A-Rank before. That was not for show.

This boy had been able to keep up with that very same Shooter.

It was a fact that had slipped her mind due to focusing on the fight.

.

Yuki took quick glances around the area.

"..."

He was making sure of something as he continued to get well within Nasu's range, yet never getting hit.

Saying that she wasn't strong as an opponent would have been a complete lie. The issue he saw was that he had already fought against opponents like Ninomiya and Kako before. What's more was that he had seen some logs of Nasu Squad's matches, he knew how they moved.

As he continued this fight he noticed that someone had gone missing.

 _Knowing him... Pyrínas probably went to go tell Mei about this incident. Smart choice._

The Autonomous Trion Soldier could not assist in fights when it came to other agents. He was suppose to be a secret from the world. Only the higher ups, and a few others, knew what exactly he was, so fighting against Nasu and Arafune would not be good.

He was not the only one Yuki was looking for, though.

The A-Rank would continue to flick his eyes towards the two young Snipers a few buildings away.

 _If they don't join us, that's fine. I just don't want to have to cut them._

If it came down to it, he would have to go against himself and take them out. He would make it quick of course.

For the time being, dealing with Nasu was what he had to do.

The fight had to end quickly so that he wouldn't have to worry about other squads coming in and joining the fight.

 _Kou is fighting Tetsu and Kumagai. Kage is dealing with Atsushi. Yoshi and Akane are back there._

He let out a small sigh.

 _It really sucks to have to fight Shooters. I have to do so much to get close enough to attack._

Yuki had a few Gunner Triggers he could have used, but he knew that they would easily get shot down by the more experienced one.

Even he could not outmatch someone who had spent more time in a single area than he had.

He used Gunner Triggers, but actual Gunners and Shooters were better at using them.

He used blades, but Attackers were better at using Kōgetsu and Scorpion.

He would use Sniper Triggers at times, but he was no where near good enough to be an actual Sniper.

His own specialty was Teleport. Not offensive by any means, but when used in a certain way, it can be used in a terrifying way.

Whether he was good at using blades, shots, or guns was not important. Being the best never matter to him, as long as he knew how to use them at a basic level, he could win.

* * *

Hanzaki and Hiura both stood around a bit awkwardly as the fights continued on.

They both felt conflicted about the whole situation.

Yuki had always treated them so kindly ever since they knew him. It just felt so wrong to chase after him like he was a criminal. Especially since they didn't know the full story behind this assignment.

 _"Akane, what are you doing!? We need to get Tsukiko-senpai!"_

 _"Hanzaki, take a shot already!"_

The two looked at each other for a few seconds before lifting their weapons.

They could both see Yuki and Nasu going at it a few buildings away. They also saw Hokari and Kageura getting closer to the two while Murakami and his opponents continued on towards them as well.

They both fired.

* * *

Yuki noticed the shots being fired, but kept his eyes focused on what was in front of him.

He had Idōgetsu in one hand, ready to cut through his opponent. It was held in a reverse grip with a crescent-shaped blade on the end of it.

When he was within three feet from his target he made a sudden move to the right.

His feet slid on the roof of the building in a way that made it seem like it was made of ice. This had made Nasu unable to fully see her own target without having to turn fully around in the same direction, or turn in the opposite direction.

He continued to slide even as the part of the roof was destroyed by multiple shots.

"..."

Using the momentum from the slide, he turned around completely while moving a bit forward.

One shot from far away missed him.

One shot from far away shot down a Viper.

He didn't pay attention to who shot at him or who had shot to defend him.

With one quick turn he cut off Nasu's arm.

 _"Kage, Kou, let's go."_

 _"Are you crazy? They'll just follow us!"_

 _"No, we'll be fine. Let's just go. I already told Pyrínas that we'll meet up at the mall. Let's split up for a bit and meet up there in an hour."_

 _"Damn."_

 _"..."_

 _"Fine!"_

Nasu was ready to fire off another barrage of Viper. He could see that.

Not finding a reason to continue with the fight, he tossed Idōgetsu into the air before catching it.

He bent his body back a bit while holding Idōgetsu like a javelin.

With one good throw, the personalized Trigger was flying through the air.

Half of the shots went towards the person still standing there while the other half went towards the flying Trigger.

Yuki saw the shots as he prepared to teleport.

"!?"

Nasu watched as the Viper shots that were targeting Idōgetsu got shot and deflected one after another.

Still looking in the direction she saw Yuki appeared with Idōgetsu in hand.

She started firing at him once more.

He managed to get away from the shots by using Teleport in rapid succession.

"..."

Nasu could only stand there as her target fled.

* * *

A full on fights had just been avoided.

The fight would be a winnable one, but it would also force them into a fight that they would most likely lose.

 _Yoshi is such a good kid. I should take him out for ice cream once this is all settled._

Yuki have a small hum and shrugged.

 _Meh. We'll bring Akane along with us so she doesn't feel left out. She may have fired at me, but that's fine. Completely fine. It's way too hard to hold any sort of grudge against her. Maaa~. But she might feel bad after this._

"Yes."

 _That's what I'll do. For being such a good kid, I'll let Yoshi get three scoops. And so she will feel better, I'll let Akane get two scoops. Is that fair? Meh._

The thought of bringing his former squad along, as well as his two friends assisting him, appeared for a brief moment before disapating with Yuki's tolerance for them.

 _Yeah. Just Yoshi and Akane. They are such lovely children who_ don't _destroy things around them. Ah. Not that Taichi does it on purpose. Now that I think about it, I have a hardly given him much. I wonder if he wants to join in as well._

The thoughts of inviting others continued to run through his mind as he ran on rooftops.

He made sure to keep his upper body down with Bagworm covering him. It made it easy for him to make any sudden stops and appear to be some sort of clothing on the roof, let out to dry.

It wouldn't be too long before he would have to jump down from the roof and go into the shadows of the buildings around him.

 _It's always much quicker to do thing this way. I run the risk of getting seen, but that's fine. So long as it isn't an army, I can make my escape. All I need is Idōgetsu and Teleport. Now then..._

There were still others matter to get to.

He had said they would all meet up at the mall in an hour, but that meant he had to be on the run for that amount of time.

Even so, it was not much for him.

This simply meant that he had that much time to hide and figure out what was going on.

"Hm?"

Looking for a safe place to land his eyes came across a familiar team.

 _They are rather agile, but nothing compared to the ones I've had to dodge today. I'm sure that I can outrun them with no problem._

Deciding on his next move, Yuki jumped down a few feet away from the team.

The four quickly noticed him and turned around to face him properly.

The leader of the team stepped up while the other three got ready in case he did anything suspicious. The glasses-boy was someone Yuki had been meaning to talk to for a while now, but did not seem to have the time for that.

"Hello, you three. You wouldn't happen to be hunting me down as well? If so, I'll take my leave now. I'd rather not deal with multiple people at once. I only have so much time to do things now that it will just make things harder on me."

"Tsukiko-senpai, we just want to hear things from you. We got the order to capture you, but..."

"Oh man. That's actually good to hear. It's fine if you don't help me out, but it's also fine if you don't help the opposing side out. I at least have just a bit less to worry about. Ah. No offense. I'm not saying you guys aren't strong. It's just..."

Mikumo shook his head.

"None taken."

"Anwyays." He took a glance at Kuga, knowing what his Side Effect was already. "You said you wanted to hear my side of things, right? Would you mind moving over to the shadows? At times like these I don't feel comfortable in the sun's light, where I'm more open. Now if it was the moon..."

"Right."

Yuki walked backwards, making sure to not make any move towards Idōgetsu. It was temping to have some kind of defense, but he knew that would just mess things up for him now.

With no guard up it was likely that they would not be so ready to attack him.

 _I'll hand it to Kuga and Hyuse, though, they don't make it really seem like they are ready to attack. Amatori is a bit more obvious, but anyone from a civilian to a weak C-Rank won't notice her movements. Good job, you three. As for Mikumo..._

It was amazing how unguarded the glasses-boy was.

Yuki was completely surprised that he held no sort of stance for attacking or defending.

He walked forward, ready to discuss everything right there.

Was it the trust in his squad that led him to be so unguarded? Maybe it could be that he had set up wires around, so the need for a defense wasn't as needed?

 _Whatever it is, I'll say that it's a good thing he is so trusting. If I was anything like back then I may have used that kind of trust to get things going my way. For now, I'll just see if I can get them to not chase me._

Once he felt that they were far enough into the shadows, Yuki let out a sigh and leaned against a nearby wall.

"Anyways. Shall I go on now?"

"By all means. We will listen to your story."

* * *

"They got away."

Hokari nodded to his captain's words.

The two snipers were standing next to their third teammate. They had seen what happen and spoke to him about it through the limited telepathy their Triggers provided.

Now they needed to make a choice.

"What was that?"

They all turned to Kumagai. Her tone sounded harsh, but they knew that it was something that needed an answer.

Hanzaki just stopped Nasu's attempt at capturing their target. There would be consequences for that kind action, that was a given. They all knew that.

Even so.

"I've decided."

Arafune let out a sigh as he brought up Kōgetsu.

With no warning, he went in for an attack. The closest person to him was Kumagai, so the blade was aimed for her neck.

She managed to block in time, but had trouble pushing back.

The others went into action as well.

Hokari and Hanzaki started firing at Hiura and Nasu as they tried to back away.

Nasu, being one building over, started firing her own shots in retaliation. The first few were to defend against the sniper shots while the second wave was to let Kumagai get some distance from her losing battle.

 _"He said we could blame him, but that guy is still too troublesome. We're all in agreement in what we are going to do, right?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Alright. No blaming him, got it? This was our choice. If we get in trouble then it's only our fault."_

Even if they did get in trouble they were all feeling more free. The back-and-forth they were having when hunting down Yuki was no longer there. They felt much lighter and moved more easily.

It showed as they dodged Nasu and Hiura's shots from a distance while ducking behind buildings.

They were snipers, so not being in plain sight was always something good.

 _"We'll take these girls out before heading out to find one of those three. We need to explain how things are going to go now."_

As soon as Arafune gave those orders he noticed some strange.

There were more opponents.

He looked at his Radar and noticed three more dots.

The only reason he checked on that was because he had seen a light flash through the sky, moving towards Border's base.

 _"Ikoma Squad has appeared. You two need to get out of there."_

Hearing what their Operator had just said, Arafune made a wild dash in the opposite direction of where the others were.

Once he was clear of most of the buildings he saw a small flash going towards him.

"!"

A Shield had appeared between him and the flash.

He saw Hanzaki run away while giving him a quick glance.

The two grouped together as they escaped from the shots being fired at them. With two more long-range fighters it made the escape more difficult, but manageable.

 _We're down a man._

Arafune made sure that he remembered that. It was important to realize how much they had on their side compared to their opponents.

Now it was a matter of not getting caught, just like their former target.

* * *

Tenryū Shokubutsu was an odd person, for multiple reasons.

He dressed regularly, went to school regularly, ate and slept regularly, even his grades were average at worst.

There was just something odd about him. The devices hanging from his neck were odd, the way he spoke was odd, the people he knew were odd, even his presence in general was odd.

"You're the kid from Yagura, right? Sorry to sound rude but, which side are you on?"

This was an expected question.

Shobu slowly grabbed the devices hanging from his neck while making sure not to keep eye contact with the three in front of him.

He barely recognized the man and girl standing there, but he did remember the boy from the day he had fought against the new member of Tamakoma. It was a bit hard when others were standing out more, but he still remembered.

The other two were likely a part of his team seeing as how they were wearing the same outfit. The orange did stand out, but that was besides the point.

 _...Kakizaki Squad... ...I think..._

He made sure not to seem rude himself, even if he wouldn't look at any of them in the eye.

The question Kakizaki had asked him seemed like it would have only two answers.

If he answered saying he was on their side then the others in his branch would think that he was against him.

If he answered saying he was opposing them then they would likely try and capture him so that he can't help his fellow branch members.

 _...So..._

"...I am...not...on anyone's...side... ...I am doing...something for my...uncle..."

 _...Tsukiko-san always said...that the trick to...telling a lie is to make sure...that you believe it first..._

The lie seemed to work seeing as Kakizaki let out a small sigh of relief.

Shobu wasn't the type of person to speak much in the first place. That gave him a bit of an advantage when it came to lying or using words against someone. If he never spoke then people wouldn't know if he was a liar or not.

 _...It does...make me feel bad...though..._

"Alright."

Shobu looked up a bit when Kakizaki started to speak.

"If you do happen to find Tsukiko..."

It was obvious to the others there that he was hesitant on saying anything concerning the matter of capturing the A-Rank.

"If you do find him, tell him that it's better to just turn himself in."

They all knew that Yuki was well aware of that fact. They also knew that Kakizaki just wasn't sure what to do about the whole situation.

He was clearly hunting down the fox with his mind not being completely into the whole thing.

 _...That's nice..._

The fact he was hesitant was reassuring. It was like he was saying that he also didn't believe this.

There was certainly something odd with the order given. Since there was something odd with the orders, there was something off with the agents who would take that order.

An odd person like Shobu had no need for such odd orders when that directly went against his own odd existence. With odd orders like that he was better off listening to his odd uncle and boss. It seemed to work well enough right now.

"Can I get your name?"

Shobu lifted his gaze ever so slightly to see Kakizaki looking down at him.

Taking a better look at the trio, Shobu noticed that he was actually shorter than their shortest member, the second boy there.

 _...He looks...familiar... ...Oh... ...He's...asking for my name... ...At this moment I should..._

Taking a quick look at one of the devices hanging around his neck seemed to get him to lift his gaze, if only a bit.

"...Tenryū...Shokubutsu... ...Hello..."

"Ah. Hello." Kakizaki pointed to himself. "Do you...happen to know us?"

Shobu shook his head a bit.

"We make up Kakizaki Squad. I'm Kakizaki Kuniharu, leader of this team."

The B-Rank captain wasn't sure what it was about this boy but there was something that made him feel a bit off. At the same time he felt like the boy needed to be protected no matter what.

It was odd.

Seeing her captain take an odd pause, the girl took a step forward and placed a hand on her chest while speaking.

"Teruya Fumika. Hello, Tenryū-kun. Over there is Tomoe-"

"Gozen..."

There was a long pause between the four of them.

It took a few seconds for the word to sink into their minds.

When it did...

"Heh..."

Teruya turned her head and covered her mouth as a few giggles came out.

Kakizaki gave a small chuckle as well.

Being in his real body, Shobu's red face could be seen by all of them. The same would have probably happened to Tomoe if he wasn't in his Trion Body.

Shobu was quick to bow to the other boy.

"...S-sorry... ...I ended up...speaking my mind...again..."

"Again?"

"...We...go to...the same school... ...As well as...the other day...with Hyuse-sama..."

"Ah... Right... Now that I think about it, you called me Tomoe Gozen when we first met."

At this point Teruya had to actually try to keep her laughter from coming out. The fact this wasn't the first time her teammate was called by that name made it all the more funny. She truly meant no harm by laughing, but it was funny.

"...Again... ...Sorry... ...Tomoe Kotarō-sama..."

"No, no! It's fine! And you don't need to add the 'sama'. We're in the same grade, after all."

Shobu tilted his head a bit before looking down at his devices again.

 _...What do I...do here...? ...Would Tsukiko-san be best...? ...Maybe...Murakami-sama... ...Anything other than Tachikawa-sama... ...That much is...certain..._

Seeing Shobu desperately looking at his devices, Tomoe decided to walk forward. He lightly tapped the other boy on the shoulder to get his attention.

What he got was a jump.

"If you aren't sure... 'Tomoe-kun,' or just 'Tomoe,' is fine. Can I call you 'Tenryū'?"

Shobu took a small step back while lifting one of the devices up to hide his face. His face was still red from the previous comment, but now there was just general embarrassment mixed in with it.

He moved the device a bit so that only his eyes could be seen.

"...Yagura Branch members...call me 'Shobu'... ...You can...also call me...that... ...If you are...my friend..."

"Hm? Oh! Yeah! We're in the same grade, so it would be great to be friends! Our classes are next to each other, right?"

"Ahem."

The two in the same grade stopped for a moment before turning to the older male right next to them.

They had forgotten that there was something currently going on, and that Tomoe was needed for this as much as his teammates.

Even so, there was a look of fondness and pride in the eyes of Kakizaki and Teruya. Whether it was from the two getting along or something else, no one will know.

"It's nice to see you two get along so well, but we do have something to do right now. We still need to find Tsukiko."

Shobu gave a nod as he looked down at the devices again.

From where he stood, Kakizaki could see a bit of what was on the screens. There were complex images and graphs in it. He knew that his head would start to hurt if he continued to look at them for too long, so he went back to talking.

"We need to be going. Sorry to keep you from your own task. We'll see you around, Tenryū."

Shobu gave a final nod as the trio started to take their leave.

He saw Tomoe give him a small wave goodbye and so did the same.

He turned around and started going his own way.

 _...They are...nice..._


	4. North and South

**Chapter 4:** North and South

* * *

Eridanus

Lyra

Lupus

Andromeda

* * *

Kotowari Squad was a team full of unpredictable people who lived odd, yet relatively fine lives. Each one was a crazy person who stood out in a crowd of regular people. When these crazy people clumped together they caused a commotion.

That was exactly what was happening right now.

They were walking through Mikado City in their real bodies. Each one was looking out for their former captain, who was currently being hunted down, and made sure to seem inconspicuous.

"This is honestly insulting. They really don't trust us, do they? Sending people to watch us like this. I understand why they are doing this, but it is honestly pissing me off. Makes me want to go up to one of them and punch them in the face."

"Ah. Suzume-senpai, please calm down. As long as we don't stand out too much we should be fine. I doubt they will make a move if we continue on like this. We have not given them a reason to move in for an attack."

"Is that a soldier in you talking? Well, whatever. You are right. As long as we are like this, they will not show themselves. At the same time, if we stay like this, we won't get anywhere."

As he spoke, Takeshi turned his attention to the brunet a few steps behind them.

Suzume was up front with her head towards the air, something that was normal.

Behind her was Takeshi and Hoshi, walking in a relatively even pace. That was also normal.

Was was completely abnormal was the fact that Toby, their most energetic member, was walking behind all of them in a slow pace. He was looking down with a deep frown and his hands in his pocket. Overall he seemed like a tamed dog inside of a house.

 _That's too scary. I would rather have him more free with his arms all over the place. That expression just doesn't work well on him._

The two girls noticed this as well and made quick eye movements around the area. They checked to see if there was anyone who wasn't well hidden.

The feeling of being watched washed over them since they left Border Headquarters. Being cautious was never something they thought of outside of rank wars or attacks on Border.

 _Knowing that almost anyone in Border could be against Yuki-senpai, and therefore us, is another scary thought. If we were like before, I would be more willing to just attack them right now. I'm sure he's thinking a similar thing._

Takeshi let out a small sigh as he fixed his scarf.

It held no real meaning for others but just touching his scarf calmed him down a bit.

"Senpai, Hoshi, what do you two think we should do? Our pet back there is deep into thought, so I won't bother asking him yet. I would also like to know who you think we can trust."

Suzume shook her head and Hoshi gave a small hum.

"Honestly, the A-Rank squads will probably be against us. Tachikawa-san may want a good reason to fight Yuki-san. Fuyushima, Kazama, Kusakabe, Arashiyama, Kako, Miwa, Katagiri. Kizaki-san, Torimaru-kun, Kirin, Ketsu-san. Bakuto, Hatohara. They are all great comrades, but it is honestly better to assume they are against us. The thought of Arashiyama Squad, Hatohara Squad, and Tamakoma helping us is nice, yet it's also too presumptuous. Two of those teams are in Shinoda Faction."

"We already know that Director Shinoda-san is also after Kiyo-nii. That means those two squads will most likely be after him as well."

"Right. Tamakoma on the other hand... I want to believe in them but... Kirin has not messaged me on the matter at all. What's more is that Jin-san honestly doesn't seem to being getting involved in this. If he was, this whole thing would most likely be over with already."

"Don't forget that walking bomb, Tsukihiko."

The three turned their heads back to see Toby looking down with his frown unmoving.

He had been listening to them go on as he thought about it all. It was time for his own input.

"Yuuichi got Fujin taken away, right? That means Tsukihiko is the only S-Rank agent in Border. That's bad since Mr. Kido can just tell him to obliterate Yuki at any time. Although, that may be a bit much outside of the Forbidden Zone. If Yuki stays deep within the city then he should be fine."

Any fighting outside of the Forbidden Zone would most likely bring down Border's reputation. Especially if it was against their own agents. It was both a danger and a safe area.

 _As long as they keep any damage to a minimum and the fighting contained, I'm sure the directors will allow the fights to go on. That means we can narrow down who would be sent outside of the Forbidden Zone and who would stay in it._

Hoshi was surpsied by this kind of answer from Toby. She knew he was more smart than he let on, but this was different. It was like he was a different person, or like some switch had been flipped.

Even so, she spoke with a calm expression and tone.

"What if they try and force him into the Forbidden Zone? Also, I'm sure that Akasora-sensei will assist him. We all know that he was Kiyo-nii and Mei-nee's former teacher. The three of us know how he sees his students. He would surely help them."

Toby shook his head.

"You're wrong. Sorry. I don't mean you're completely wrong. It's true that Mr. Akasora would help his students no matter what happens, but you have to remember that he's a branch director now. He's in charge of Yagura. That means..."

They all knew what that meant, but they wanted to hear it said.

So Toby obliged.

"He's under Mr. Kido. The members of Yagura do follow his order above Mr. Kido's, but he orders Mr. Akasora. The best he can do at this point is get the others from Yagura to help without seeming like they're helping. It sucks, but we can't really rely on Yagura much either."

The other three exchanged worried glances.

They all had people in Border they looked up to but they all knew that Toby was in the most difficult position.

While Suzume could easily go against those people without worrying about forgiveness, Toby would worry that those people would reject him after fighting them seriously.

While Takeshi cared more about the people on one side, Toby cared about multiple people from both sides.

While Hoshi could put aside her feelings during serious moments, Toby ran with his emotions and would go with their flow.

They could on think the same thing.

 _He really is like a dog._

He was the most loyal among them.

He was the most caring among them.

He was the most emotional among them.

"It's honestly strange how much input you're giving into this. No offense, but you hardly say anything this in depth when we're going into matches. I know you're smart and all, even though you don't act too much like it."

Takeshi and Hoshi tilted their heads.

"What are you talking about, Senpai? Toby-kun is the smartest person in our class. He usually ranks highly overall in school. Usually in the top three."

"You...really didn't know that? He may be a dog, but he's a smart one. The fact he can talk is proof of that."

The Shooter could feel the glare coming from his friend.

"Tch. It's fine, Suzume. I'm use to people saying that. No offense taken. Anyways. Back to the topic." He gave a quick glare to the Shooter. "We should probably start by dealing with the ones following us."

All four of them continued to look at each other and not in the directions they thought the people were.

"Wouldn't it be better to stay together and take them on? We honestly don't have Mei-san for an Operator right now, but I think we can still take them on. If not take some out."

Toby shook his head again.

"That would be a great idea, if we were trying to take them out. I'm thinking of splitting up." He looked at the three of them as he continued. "Take is our captain, so I'll leave the choice up to him, but I recommend not actually fighting. We can always trying getting them on our side, since we know ones like Yagura and Tamakoma most likely won't help us."

Suzume gave a hum as she crossed her arms under her breasts.

She looked at Takeshi to see his reaction to this.

"So, what are we honestly going to do, Take?"

"Hm. Since when have any of us actually listened to the captain at times like these? Let's just do things how we usually do. It may be a bit odd since we have four people here, but we can make it work."

"Ah. I am fine with anything you all recommend. Please, go about voting like you normally would."

"Right. Well, I'm fine with splitting up. Getting more people on our side is probably the best option right now. Especially if we can get a few A-Rank squads on our side. We'll have more power on our side."

Suzume let out a small sigh as a smile crossed her face.

"Okay. If that's how we're honestly going to do things, where are we going? Where are we going to meet up?"

"Senpai, you and Hoshi go north. Once you think you're far enough, split up again. At that point you can go whichever way you want. We will go south. No one use their Triggers unless necessary, or if you get surrounded. What's more, even if it's irritating, don't try too hard to take them out. If they refuse to cooperate with you, you are free to take them out. Just make sure to get any information out first."

"Ah. What if we end up meeting someone on our side? Like Kou-onii-san or Mei-nee."

"Tell them as much as you can and stay with them the whole time. They will be our way to finding Yuki-senpai. Remember not to get taken out. If any of us are in a losing battle, we run away. Teleport, hiding, anything. Make sure you make it out so that you can still be helpful to the rest of us."

The other three nodded their heads.

.

As she listened to her team, Suzume heard some people talking not too far off. It was a bit difficult to fully hear what they were saying, but she kept half of her focus on them to get a better idea.

 _I see... That's what I'll do then._

Nodding silently to herself, she focused back in to hear the rest of what Takeshi was saying.

She, along with the other two, agreed with the plan.

As they all started going their own way she called out.

"Hey, Toby, come here for a second."

Seeing the dog in human skin stop and turn around she motioned for him to walk forward.

Once they were close enough she reached out her arms and wrapped them around him.

 _Hm? I'm only an inch taller than him, so why do I feel like he's just a little kid? Well, at least he's not trying to rub my breasts. Heh~ He really is like an adorable little brother._

As she mentally decided to give him some chocolate later on she put her mouth to his ear.

It obvious that he was surprised by this as much as the other two were. They weren't the only ones since others around them were looking on. Some jealousy could be seen in the eyes of the guys, and some girls. Mostly they were looks of shock.

"Uh... Suzu-"

Toby got cut off when he heard something being whispered into his ear.

He could happily say that his senses were just a bit better than normal people. Nothing extraordinary like Kikuchihara, but still better than most people. That meant the low volume Suzume was using to whisper still came through clearly.

Once she was done whispering she pushed him away while holding onto his shoulders.

"Make sure to keep the both of you safe, got it? Since I won't be around you two to keep you in check, so don't go around destroying things."

"Hey, my blades don't destroy much! Tell that to the walking railgun over there! He's always ready to blast everything!"

The two looked back to see Takeshi waving at them.

 _He wants to get hit!_

The two thought the same thing while getting ready to pull their Triggers out.

"Anyways. Just honestly stay safe. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see you around."

The two started walking back towards their respective partners for the time being.

As she got closer to Hoshi, Suzume flipped her hair with a grin.

"Ah. Senpai, what was that about?"

"Nothing particular. I just wanted to let that dog know that I have a toy for him to start playing with later."

"Toy...?"

Suzume didn't answer.

She simply walked on with a grin.

* * *

A group of people stood around a certain street in Mikado City. A few of them were being surrounded by other people while the others were looking through the nearby stores.

The group was so spread out that no one would think of them as suspicious.

They were hiding in plain sight.

 _This kind of assainment gives me a terrible feeling. We know they haven't done anything yet, so why are we looking at them like they are accomplices..._

"Hey, stop spacing out. They split up. We need to get going."

A glasses-boy and an irritated girl looked over their shoulders while pulling out their phones.

The irritated girl answered the call she was getting.

 _"Can someone remind me why they sent so many people after just this one team? This is a bit of overkill, isn't it? If they split up then we could just send one team to both sides. Their forces are weakened at that point."_

"Can you stop talking now?"

 _"They sent all of us because of what team it is. We all know that they can be really unpredictable most of the time. I wouldn't be shocked if they turned out to be some kind of yokai. Ones that no one even know of yet."_

 _"You say that, but I bet you would be rather happy with that. That would just put another mark on them that adds to the absurdity that is them."_

 _Do these guys ever stop this kind of talking...?_

"Do you guys ever stop this kind of talking?"

The glasses-boy looked over in bewilderment when the irritated girl spoke exactly what was on his mind. It was a bit creepy.

Getting over his shock, he turned around to leave the store they were in. It was small, so the doors were only a few steps away. When he thought about their assignment once more he had wished that the door would never reach them. Although it somewhat seemed like his steps became a bit heavy with each one.

He glanced over at the girl next to him to see that she was still irritated.

The other boy next to her didn't look too happy either.

He shook his head a bit as he thought about everyone who was there.

 _Odd. The ones who talk a lot aren't talking much, and the ones who hardly talk seem to be speaking quite a bit._

"By the way. What's with the silence from the chatter boxes? And why the heck are the quiet ones speaking so much?"

The glasses-boy quickly turned to the irritated girl.

"Stop that!"

"What!? What are you talking about!?"

"Stop reading my mind like that! It's really creepy!"

"I'm not reading your mind! Why would I even want to read the mind of a damn megane!?"

"Now, now..."

They were interrupted by a voice coming from the phone.

 _"Pay attention, you two. You are going with us to follow the girls. The rest of you follow the boys."_

 _Because that doesn't sound creepy and like a stalker at all!_

"Because that doesn't sound creepy and like a stalker at all!"

At this point the irritated girl was saying the words as soon as they appeared in the glasses-boy's head.

The third boy said nothing as he looked around.

* * *

Suzume and Hoshi walked through a certain street of Mikado City. They noticed that the ones following them were a bit behind and so made sure to increase the amount of steps they took, as well as the length of their steps.

As they walked, Suzume looked down at her friend to see that she was looking down.

"Hoshi-chan, would you honestly care about telling me a bit more about Yuki-san before we became a part of his team?"

Hoshi looked up when she heard the voice of her friend.

"Ah? Kiyo-nii? Well... How do I put it? Ah! I know! He was a delinquent!"

"Eh!?"

Suzume was honestly surprised by this.

 _Mei-san had told us about how she and Yuki-san were around the time they met, but she never said anything that made him seem like a delinquent! And this is honestly coming from his own little sister!_

The shocked continued as Hoshi gave a small giggle.

"Yes, yes. I clearly remember now. He would get into fights rather often, yet never be the one to start them. I obviously wasn't there most of the time, but Kou-onii-san kept me up to date on everything my brother did. Apparently, people would challenge my brother to fights. They were usually from other schools."

She added a "but".

"He would not accept those fights. Even when there were large crowds of people, he refused to fight them. They did end up fighting, but that was because those people usually did something that he could not stand for. One time they even tried to use me, but that did not end well."

Suzume gave a nervous laugh as she thought about how that incident went.

Yuki could be considered someone who has a sister complex. Most people would agree on that. Just thinking about someone suing Hoshi as a hostage sent shivers down her spine.

"He was still very caring, though. He was also a bit of a tsundere. That's what Kou-onii-san would tell me, anyways. He refused to call people his friends, yet still made it clear that they were friends."

"I'm guessing Murakami-senpai took the full force of that."

Hoshi gave a delicate nod.

"Exactly. It took a fight between the two of them for Kiyo-nii to admit that Kou-onii-san was his friend. After that, he had an easier time saying that to others. Mei-nee was next to be called that. Kageura and Arafune-senpai were the next ones to be called that. It then went from there."

"Oh? That's honestly a bit odd. So you're on good terms with Kageura-san and Arafune-senpai? I honestly didn't know that."

"Ah! Yes! They are both such lovely people! When we first met they were very nice! I really could not see why Kiyo-nii would complain about them at times!"

"Eh!? Eeeeehhhh!? Arafune-senpai I could understand! Kageura-san being as you describe him!? Honestly impossible! I refuse to believe it!"

Hoshi gave another giggle when she saw Suzume smiling down at her.

It was nice to have small talk like this. Even if they were on their own assignment.

"While on the topic," she started. "Suzume-senpai, you are an older sister, correct?"

"Yeah. I have one adorable little sister. Biologically at least."

"Hm? What does that mean? Do you have step-siblings? Maybe adopted?"

"Trust me, I wish I could adopt the others as siblings. They are also honestly adorable." With a sly smile, she continued. "Akane-chan is also adorable. Kitora-chan, Futaba-chan, Chika-chan, and Izuho-chan are all little balls of adorableness that I wish were my sisters."

"I see..."

"Then, of course, there is you!"

Without any warning, the busty sniper wrapped her arms around the star girl.

"You're like a new little sister! I was honestly happy when you joined our team! Having you around made things so much more fun!"

Hoshi allowed herself to be cuddled by the older girl as a smile hung on her face.

She knew that everyone on Kotowari Squad spoke their minds, and spoke the truth. Hearing Suzume say this about her made her happy enough not to care about the attention they were getting.

"Ah. Does that mean you see the others as your siblings as well?"

"Let's see~ Toby and Take are honestly like annoying little brothers. But that is also what makes them wonderful. Please don't tell them I said that, though. I honestly won't hear the end of it." She got the answer she wanted and continued. "Shouhei-kun is also like a brother. He has his own charm about him that makes it hard to honestly ship him with anyone. Yuzu-kun... He's more like a friend. If I talk to him some more them that may change. Touma-san is somewhat like an annoying older brother. But that's about it."

"Oh? What about Kiyo-nii and Mei-nee?"

"Yuki-san and Mei-san are honestly like parents. They cared for us for so long that I honestly wouldn't be surprised if one of us called them our parents on accident. Actually... Now that I think about it, those two are registered as Toby and Take's guardians. They always get things from their school, whether it's something good or not."

"Really? I didn't know that! I always assumed that those two simply left their things in their apartments."

Suzume gave a laugh while folding her arms behind her back.

Her eyes became a bit distant as she continued speaking.

"Yeah... That's honestly why those two were so hurt when Yuki-san disbanded the squad. I understand that it was a way for him to tell us that we don't really need him that much anymore, but it still hurt. It sort of felt like he was honestly done with us. Like he was done with another family..."

"..."

When she didn't hear a response, Suzume focused back in to reality and saw Hoshi looking down once again.

She realized her mistake and tried to fix it.

"Oh! That was my bad! I wasn't paying too much attention to what I was honestly saying! I didn't mean to put it like that!"

Hoshi was quick to ease her upperclassman's worries.

She shook her head while apologizing.

"A-anyways! Senpai! Senpai, I'm fine, seriously! Ah! What about Satori-san and Narasaka-san? You haven't mentioned them yet! What do you see them as?"

Suzume went quiet way too fast. It was unverving and a bit scary.

She looked away from Hoshi as she crossed her arms under her breasts once more.

Those two had been strange for a while now, but she gave up on trying to figure out why. There were multiple things that came to mind when it came to the reasons, but they all seemed to not fit well enough.

"Those two... Huh." She gave a bitter laugh while looking away. "They're both idiots that have been getting on my nerves for a while now. Ken-kun is still my best friend, but..."

Suzume shook her head a few times before stopping.

Hoshi followed her lead and stopped her walking.

The two took a quick look around them. Everything seemed normal enough, nothing out of the ordinary.

That's why Suzume decided to start walking away.

"Hey, Hoshi-chan, why don't you go find Wakamura-kun and have some fun with him~? I'll even be nice and go write a fluffy doujinshi of you two while you're honestly gone."

"S-Senpai!? W-we aren't close enough for that kind of thing to happen! We have only kissed once! That was because of Katori-san! Please do not go around saying we've done this and that!"

"Oh-ho~ I honestly assumed you were just going to hold hands~ Where did 'this and that' come from~? Could it be~?"

Hoshi went red in only a few seconds.

"Heh heh heh~ It's fine. I was joking. Some girls from my class are over there, so I'm just going to go talk to them. You are free to do as you please."

Hoshi gave a quick nod before walking away.

Her hands were held in front of her as she walked away.

Suzume gave a soft smile before going to the girls a few feet away.

* * *

The two boys of Kotowari Squad walked along the edge of a river. A few small boats could be seen sailing in the water. They didn't lay too much attention to that.

The silence that covered the two of them was ominous, as if something bad was about to happen at any moment. It put the Shooter on his toes, even as the Attacker continued on like nothing was wrong.

Takeshi looked over at his friend.

 _I've never seen him this serious before. When Senpai had disbanded the team, he was pissed beyond belief. Like a real wild animal. This is different, though, since he seems as calm as when we are in a match._

When he took a closer look, Takeshi could see why exactly Toby was looking down.

It was a chat room.

 _When did he...?_

Toby noticed Takeshi watching him and looked up.

"What's up? Something you wanna say?"

"What exactly are you doing?"

Toby's answer came in the form of lifting up his phone.

"I'm looking through the chat rooms I'm a part of. Most of them are Border related ones. I wanna keep up to date on what is going on throughout the city right now. It sucks since I can't add my own thoughts in."

He saw Takeshi tilt his head and answered the unasked question.

"Other agents will probably be more wary and cautious about putting anything if I show that I'm looking at their messages."

Takeshi was never one for communicating with others on a regular basis - unless it was his squad - so he would have never thought about doing that. He knew that Toby and Suzume had a good amount of activity when it came to social media, so they knew more trivial things than him.

The conversation from before came to mind.

Toby really was smarter than he let on. Apparently even Suzume didn't know he was that smart.

 _Besides Mei-san, he's actually the smartest person on the team._

"Hm? Oh. Looks like Suzume decided to make her appearance."

Curious as to what he was talking about, Takeshi leaned over to see the chat.

Toby lowered his phone while turning it a bit.

 **Honest Sister:** "I'm honestly holding a concert in a while! It's going to honestly be a small and unprepared one! I still hope my small audience will appreciate it. If someone would be kind enough to get a wireless mic for me, that would be nice."

 **Rocker Gal:** "I've gotcha! Leave it to Minubuki to get you that mic! Just tell her where you're gonna be!"

Takeshi fixed his scarf with a confused expression.

"Why is she doing something like that? We have something to do."

Toby let out a small laugh.

Takeshi gave a small glare.

"It's helping us. Thanks to her, everyone has stopped giving out random pieces of information on what is going on. That means less people to really worry about." Toby looked back at his phone. "What's more, she is kinda acting like bait. People will focus on her, giving the rest of us a bit of an easier time."

He looked up for a second.

"I take that back. It makes it easier for you and Hoshi. I have something a bit annoying to do. Anyways. This is actually a major help."

"But if she attracts more attention-"

"Don't forget, Take, when it comes to stalling or dodging... You can always count on her!"

Takeshi said nothing more on the topic.

What Toby was saying was true. Suzume's Side Effect was an odd, yet somewhat powerful one. It wasn't on the level of Jin or Kikuchihara, but it could be considered a top-tier one. It was right next to Toby's own Side Effect.

With Suzume being such an active and social person it made her even more dangerous. Most people who have met her had already gotten their Rhythms recorded by her. That meant she only needed to follow those Rhythms when facing them.

Deciding that it was a fine choice, he looked back down at the phone.

 **Rocker Gal:** "Oh! Do you want Minubuki to get Sochin to set up the mic to the nearby buildings?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Can he honestly do that?"

 **Hiyami:** "Is he even aloud to do that?"

 **Honestly Sister:** "Anyways. I'll be performing a new song there, so the more people there the better~ Oh! And what side are you on, Minu?"

 **Rocker Gal:** "Undecided! Back on the topic of this concert! Are you still fine from the last one?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Heh heh. ...You did a lot too, so aren't you tired? I'm perfectly fine, though. So how did it honestly go after I left?"

 **Hiyami:** "My dad said that there was nothing wrong with going every once in a while, so don't worry."

 **Honest Sister:** "Heh heh. I don't mind either way. A mid-level like me shouldn't even be able to pull off a dance that matches the broken Rhythm of a wild beast like that woman. And isn't public nudity honestly illegal?"

 **Hiyami:** "Yes, but my dad said you were fine as long as your heart is in the right place. And you didn't mean to do it."

 **Honest Sister:** "Does he honestly think my heart was in the right place?"

 **Hiyami:** "He's a fan of yours. At the school year-end festival in March, he was in the front row for your solo dance with one of those, um, glowing sticks. What are those called?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Pleasure rods."

 **Hiyami:** "Oh, right. He was swinging his pleasure rod around."

 **Honest Sister:** "I can't believe this pure maiden actually said it!"

"Eh?" said the other girl. And after a while...

 **Hiyami:** "Ahhhhhhh! An odd meter just shot up! Wait, someone! Damage control! You can crash the site! Just crash it!"

 **Honest Sister:** "You need to calm down, Hiyami. And this super honest sister will honestly teach you a magic spell to calm you down! Lift your breasts up from below and shout 'dor erusaelp' three times backwards! Now, begin!"

Long story short, three meters filled up and she scolded Suzume.

Toby and Takeshi could only look at the chat log to make sure this wasn't some kind of prank.

 _Shouldn't she be telling her squad about this conversation? Well, I guess anyone would be embarrsed about a conversation like that. Especially with Suzume._

The two boys shook their heads and said nothing more.

Toby locked his phone before putting it in his pocket.

"Well... I guess it's time I head out as well. If she's putting on a concert, there needs to be some security there."

"But isn't that all the way back up north? We made it down here rather quickly, but it still took a good while."

Toby waved his hand as he pulled out his Trigger.

Takeshi because more cautious as he went for his pocket.

"It's fine. I just have to up my speed a bit to make it all the way there in time for the first song. If I can, I'll get you a recording of it. Even if she is annoying, Suzume really does have an amazing voice."

With that being said, Toby disappeared from where he stood.

Takeshi was quick to notice something nearby go in the direction Toby had left.

.

Feeling like there were more people around now, he pulled out his Trigger and go into his Trion Body.

He walked forward a few steps until he was almost at a nearby stone bridge. It was a rather well built one that he had to remember so that he could bring Mikumo to it later on. A pattern could be seen on the bridge, but it was a rather plain one when looked at regularly.

Takeshi had taken some time to examine it and enjoy the unseen beauty in it.

He nodded a few times before pointing to it and saying, "Can we make sure not to destroy that bridge? I want to show Shishou that bridge later on. Once we are all on good terms again."

Turning his head a bit to the side, he saw two people standing there. One had his hair pointed up in the front while the other had his hair pointed up in the back.

They were both holding Kōgetsu.

"Is that okay, Okudera-senpai, Koarai-senpai?"

* * *

Suzume happily hummed to herself as she walked through tall buildings. There weren't too many people walking around, so it gave her more freedom to move around.

She enjoyed that.

She opened her eyes a bit to look around and noticed a few things around her. The current location was an almost empty park. A few people were sitting here and there while a handful of people were walking along the paths.

Large buildings were towering over her and the park, yet she felt rather content with the scenery.

 _Those buildings are honestly good sniping spots. I'm not sure I would be able to hit anyone from this spot. That's honestly fine, though, since I'll just be dancing the whole time._

Nodding to herself a few times, she started moving her body.

Once she was in the middle of the park she sped up her moving. Her hips, shoulders, head, upper body, lower body, everything was moving to a strange rhythm that only she could hear.

It was rather quiet, but there was the sound of the wind, the steps of the people, the chirping of the bird, and many other sounds that seemed to just blend in with their surroundings.

Suzume could hear each one clearly.

After a few more seconds of swaying, she spoke up with a loud voice.

"I'm fine with an audience, so long as they aren't embarrassed about seeing my performance. If no one shows themselves then I will honestly consider this rude and start firing all around me. No place with be safe from my wrath at that point."

Once she finished speaking, multiple figures jumped down, surprising the others around them. When they got ready for a fight, the other people around them started moving away from the group, yet still within range to see it all happen.

These people were the #5 and #7 A-Rank squads of Border.

 _Smart to honestly send two teams after me. Toby is our wild ace. Take is our thoughtlessly thoughtful captain. Hoshi-chan is a bit of a wild card. Then there's honestly me._

She looked at each face visable and noticed three people were missing. Those people being the snipers.

One of the visable people had a dissatisfied look.

"Sending two squad after just Misaki-senpai..."

"Heh heh! You seem to be underestimating me, Kitora-chan. Could it be because you're envious of my bust size like you are of Mikumo-kun? Oh! Sorry, sorry. I'm in a bit of a feisty mood right now. Don't get me wrong, I honestly am happy to know that Border would send their #5 and #7 A-Ranks after just me. It honestly makes me feel so wanted~ Although, not as wanted as Yuki-san is. Speaking of which, would any of you mind telling me why he is so wanted?"

"We can't just-"

"Heh heh heh~ My bad, my bad! I must have forgotten to say this beforehand. Kitora-chan, I'm usually fine with sharing the stage with anyone who honestly wants to join, but not this time. I'm gonna be a bit selfish and ask you to please leave the stage. The exit is honestly anywhere around us."

"Why would I-...!?"

Before she could finish...

"Jeez. Making me come all the way back here just to pick her up!"

Everyone was shocked to see a certain brunet suddenly appear in front of Kitora.

"Oh well. Let's get going, Ai!"

He quickly grabbed Kitora by the waist and lifted her over his shoulder. In an instant, he was gone.

Arashiyama Squad was quick to target him as he tried to flee. They were well aware of the usage of Teleport, so they knew what to do at a time like this.

"Heh heh~ I thought I was honestly your target!? You may all leave me! That is completely fine! Go after our wolf and let me roam around as I please! I'll take that as an insult and never let any of you hear my music again, but go ahead and leave!"

But they could not go after him while their main target was in front of them.

 _"It's fine! I'll take care of Awdry! Please detain Misaki-senpai!"_

* * *

Hoshi looked down at her phone. On the screen was an odd chat between three girls.

She had been told by her upperclassman to keep track of this chat for one reason or another. Apparently the reason for that was because that same upperclassman had decided to tell everyone that she would put on a concert.

"But what could that mean?"

Did she really intend to put on a concert on at a time like this?

Maybe it was just some code she could not figure out.

There were strange people like this all around here during the day, and sometimes at night. It was a wonder how she had not gotten use to it completely yet.

"Screw all this hiding crap."

Her attention was quickly taken away when she heard a familiar voice up ahead.

Looking up from her phone, she saw a girl in a purple and black uniform.

"Ah. Hello, Katori-san. I'm assuming that you, as well as Waka-kun and Miura-senpai, are here to attack me."

"Hm. You can just say 'those two' instead of their names. It really doesn't matter much."

"But that would be rude, wouldn't it? They have names, so it is always best to use those names."

"Meh. If you want to be uptight about it. I guess."

Hoshi's eyes sparkled a bit as they continued the conversation.

 _Am I having an actual conversation with Katori-san!? She is finally warming up to me!? Uwah~ How nice~!_

"But yeah, we're here to attack you, stupid girl."

 _Ah. Nevermind. This is still Katori-san after all..._

Shaking her head a bit, Hoshi looked around to see if she could spot the other two members of Katori Squad. It was a bit hard since there were a good amount of hiding spots around.

She did notice something in her small search.

 _It seems they managed to move any citizens out of the way. That's good. We just have to make sure that we don't cause too much damage to the buildings. What's around this area? A park? A plaza?_

That's when she remembered the mall nearby. All around that mall was open space.

 _I shouldn't go there._

An open space against all of Katori Squad was a bad idea.

The best option here was to stay in areas where she could move freely while also hindering her opponents.

"The way I see it, you three cannot attack me while I'm in my real body. That would make it seem like you are attacking a civilian. So, I will fight you properly, in my Trion Body, as long as Waka-kun and Miura-senpai stop hiding."

"We can just keep you here, you know."

It wasn't a question. Katori was telling that fact to her.

"I know. I just have a question to ask."

Katori clicked her tongue as the two boys on her team walked out from behind two buildings. They both stood behind Hoshi, ready to attack.

"Thank you. Now then. Katori-san, once this is all done and over with, will you forgive me for causing all this trouble?"

"No."

"I see."

Hoshi nodded her head once and closed her eyes.

"What about you, Waka-kun? Miura-senpai?"

"Of course."

"Yeah."

She could hear the girl in front of her click her tongue as she nodded two more times.

She calmly pulled out her Trigger and started going into her Trion Body.

Katori Squad got ready.

The moment she was completely in her Trion Body, they started firing at her.

They relentlessly fired shot after shot. Each one hit the girl's body, going through and making holes.

 _This isn't right..._

Katori went wide-eyed as she stopped firing.

"Hold up!"

Doing as told, Wakamura stopped firing.

Once they settled down they all saw what was wrong.

The girl was no longer there. Where she once stood was a strap.

"Crap!"

Katori saw a shadow on the ground and quickly looked up. The girl they had just fired at was now in the air, multiple cubes of Trion surrounding her.

"Let's begin."

They were the ones really being attacked.

* * *

Kitora was surprised when she was suddenly lifted into the air and put on someone's shoulder. She felt a hand go on top of her back while another one held her legs. She was grateful to him for not grabbing her butt.

Knowing who it was, after getting over her shock, she reassured her squad that she would be fine and that they should focus on the dancing sniper in front of them.

"Sorry about this, Ai."

"Don't go tell me lies."

"I really _am_ sorry, though. This whole thing is a mess. It's also feels a bit weird to be your enemy. Even so, I need to continue on. Suzume needs to finish her concert. Maybe that will even move Ken and Toru to actually make a proper move on her."

Kitora said nothing as she was carried from one large rooftop to another.

She felt the wind rush by them as they dropped from one large building to a smaller one. It was a nice feeling, but it reminded her of the position she was in.

"Let go of me already! Like you said... We are enemies here! I can just stab you right here and now!"

"Hahaha! But you haven't! We trust each other too much for you to do that! I won't stab you in the back, so you won't stab me in the back! That's how our relationship works!"

Even though they were so close to each other they both raised their voices to get passed the rushing wind.

"Awdry, don't even try and convince me not to capture Tsukiko-senpai!"

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning on it! I already know how stubborn you can be! I'd rather us just fight it out and see who is right!"

This was the reason Kitora had so much trust in him.

The Attacker was like a wild animal, ferocious in battle and caring to his pack. What she could also see in him was how honest he was. Like an animal, he stick to his instincts and never strayed from the path he was on.

He was honest to a fault, unlike most people.

A certain glasses-wearing boy came to mind for a brief second before she swatted that image away.

Both that boy and this one irritated her, as well as made her feel lower than them.

"Hold on tight! We're almost there!"

The Attacker's yelling broke through her thoughts.

She noticed that they were falling from a rather tall building. Their landing was a plaza with little people and a fountain in the middle.

She wondered why there was so little people around but figured that it was the time of day.

Once they landed with an oddly quiet landing, Toby let her go. He jumped back a bit as the nearby people moved away from the plaza.

Kitora stood there in shock.

 _How did we land without breaking the ground or making any noise!?_

Had Toby done something before they landed? It was hard to tell since he was now a few meters away from her.

"Here we go."

She faced forward while getting ready to pull out her gun.

"Since Suzume's putting on a concert, Take's probably making water works, and Hoshi's doing who knows what, why don't we put on a small show?"

"This isn't some game, Awdry! We need to find Tsuki-"

"Ai, don't forget who you're talking to, okay? You know that my body doesn't move too well when I'm not having fun. Think of it like a contract with one of those gods you japanese have. What's one that involves entertainment?"

 _Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto._

She instinctively answered in her mind.

"Well, anyways, think of it like that. Our squad has to give entertainment for power. Suzume gets some crazy defense when dancing while I get stronger the more fun I have during a fight. I'm not so sure about Take or Hoshi, though, since the former never really seems to have fun while the latter is too kind to indulge in that kind thing."

 _Kotowari would probably get better accuracy. I don't know about Taiyōko, though._

Kitora violently shook her head.

 _No! I'm getting suck into his way of thinking! Stay focused, Kitora Ai! You have a mission to accomplish!_

She faced her opponent once more.

"Let's fight! Yeah! Let's just fight until someone loses! That way I don't have to think about this anymore!"

"You say that, but... You haven't made a single move to attack me yet."

.

Toby gave a small smile when he saw Kitora really get ready for a fight.

He may have been messing with her a bit, but he also spoke the truth.

 _The reason I leave strategizing during a fight to Take is because I can't think things through in the middle of a fight or I really will slow down. My Side Effect is tricky when it comes to things like fights since it forces my body to move against my will._

He nodded to himself.

 _If I think about moving my body at the same time my Side Effect kicks in, they will contradict each other. At that point, my body won't move at all since there would be two forces trying to make it move. If I just enjoy a fight and let my body do it's thing then I'll be getting somewhere._

There was a downside to every Side Effect, and this was his.

That contradiction had stopped him from thinking about other things when attacked. On the flip side to that, the moment he had where his body would dodge an attack by itself he would have a few seconds to think things through.

Only a handful of people knew about this small issue with his Side Effect.

"Well," he started, "before we even start..."

A Scorpion blade materialized in his hand, getting Kitora ready to fight.

"If you aren't going to use Bagworm, then what's the point of hiding!?"

He threw the blade towards a shadow with a good amount of force.

Something rushed out of the shadow and made its way over to Kitora. Blue plates could be seen behind the something.

Toby nodded his head when he saw who the person was.

"Hey there, Shun. Now that you show yourself..."

Toby lowered his upper body while bending his knees. His stance went from a casual one to looking like a stance an animal would take before jumping it's prey.

"Let's begin!"


	5. North and South: Part 2

**Chapter 5:** North and South: Part 2

* * *

Flow through the world with purpose

I am the festival's vassal

* * *

Akasora Chishi was a man of action.

If there was one thing that he hated it would have to be sitting around and doing nothing when he knows there is something to do. Even when there wasn't something to do, he still hated just sitting around.

If he had any free time then it was spent doing something active. Most of the time it would have been going out for long runs that would quickly turn into him sprinting through park of Mikado City. Homeless dogs would follow him at times.

 _My free time had gone done so much since getting this new and irritating job. I hate to complain but I need to make sure those dogs get a good amount of food and exercise._

It was really an odd thought that he couldn't overlook.

 _Ah. Speaking of dogs, I should ask Awdry if the class has been doing well. I know some of them were having trouble in certain areas._

The branch director nodded to himself a few times.

He missed his class very much. Border needed someone to fill the spot for the newly made Yagura Branch and he was the best person for the job. Especially because of all the crazy people who had also joined.

 _Who is normal in that building? Pyrínas is fine, but still a bit odd. Well, I guess he gets a pass for being a Trion Soldier. Bōdō isn't too bad. Just some ticks. Those siblings are out of the question. I can't even say my own nephew and his team are normal. They're at least fine to deal with._

He nodded again to make sure he was right.

 _Futoyuki is definitely odd. No doubt about that. Nakagami is... Well, we don't see her too much._

Thinking more about his branch members, a certain thought came to mind. It was something he knew from the beginning, but nodding to himself made it feel more real. It wouldn't be for a while, but he knew that it was going to happen.

The crazy woman in the branch had told them before that Yagura Branch is made up of strong people. They only accept strong people and anyone who isn't strong would not be able to join.

That was a lie.

Akasora knew she was just saying that because their branch really did have strong people.

 _Excluding me, three A-Ranks, five B-Ranks, one Autonimous Trion Soldier. Yeah. We have some pretty stong people in that building._

That wasn't the issue and he knew it.

 _She told Kotowari Squad that._

He knew that that one particular team had already planned on joining Yagura Branch when they had become A-Rank. That way they would be on equal ground with their former captain.

Akasora shook his head to make sure that was a fact.

He then nodded his head to make sure of something else.

 _I was planning on inviting them after the B-Rank Wars finish. Even if they aren't A-Rank, they're still rather strong as a B-Rank squad. From being their teacher, I know how Awdry, Kotowari and Taiyōko are in fighting. Misaki is a bit in an enigma in that category, but even I know that she's respected among snipers, and some other agents._

He gave one more nod.

"They'll probably reject me if they are still B-Rank, but it's worth a shot. It would be great to have my former students in Yagura. That way I can make sure they're fine and well."

As he spoke to himself, he continued to make his way to Border.

He was a man of action, so he was going to take action.

 _Masafumi should be expecting me._

* * *

The first thing Takeshi did was jump up.

He jumped into the air and landed on the railing that stopped just above his hips. The railing was more like a long block than a long tube. It made balancing on it easier.

 _Even if I somehow managed to beat Koarai-senpai before, this is a completely different situation. What's more... Those two working together is dangerous. I need to be careful or I'll lose instantly._

When it came to teamwork, these two were pretty high up on the scale. They were decent in one-on-one but when they moved with each other it could give Kazama Squad a run for their money.

Takeshi knew this and so made a choice.

Turning his body to the right he started running along the rail. The right side was where Koarai was standing so he was closer to Takeshi when he started running.

He could see Okudera place a Gasshopper plate near Koarai.

 _Get the timing right..._

He was a plain person when compared to his teammates. He had no Side Effect to speak of, unlike three others in his team who all had great ones. He did not have any natural talent that he had gotten from his family, like the final member of the team. All he had was his ideas and experience.

That meant he needed to go off of everything he knew, as well as the things that would soon happen. Every second he was in the fight he would think of something new and gain new experience.

That was how he fought.

 _I should make sure that I never let Katori-san know. She already gets irritated by Hoshi._

He saw Koarai step on the Grasshopper plate and went into action.

The other B-Rank's trajectory led him straight to Takeshi. The one lagging by a few seconds was also getting closer.

 _Now then..._

Takeshi loosened his body up as the larger body sped towards him. His body moving to the side with no support from the legs.

He started to fall towards the water as the larger body skimmed him.

He could see the two Attackers look at him in surprise as he fell from the railing.

 _Now that I think about it, didn't some of the other Shooters say that I'm becoming an enigma as a Shooter? Something along the lines of 'a Shooter who gets way too close to his target'? Was that metaphorically or literally?_

As he thought about unimportant things he lifted his arm as he fell. The length of his arm was just enough for him to grab onto the railing.

The momentum from the fall was enough for him to swing his body into the air. His foot connected with the unsuspecting Koarai.

With his left foot, he kicked Koarai's arm into the air so that he would have to take a few more seconds to reach his blade. With his right foot, he kicked Koarai's stomach so that he was sent towards his teammate.

The two collided as Takeshi leaped back onto the railing.

He started running again while the two Attackers tried to gather themselves.

Not waisting the few seconds he got from that attack, three Trion orbs appeared next to him.

 _Asteroid!_

Three laser-like beams fired from the Trion orbs.

The two Attackers were quick to dodge the laser-like shots, but couldn't move around too much.

In a way, Takeshi had the higher ground. While he was going one-on-two against a strong combo he was also in a better spot then them.

As long as he continued to run on the railing he would be able to move to either the earth or the water. To his left was the earth, allowing for more escape areas, but also an easy way for his opponents to reach him. To his right was the water, somewhere that his opponents would have trouble reaching him, but also an area where he would have to think a bit more.

 _There is always the sky. Shooters are better than Attackers in an aerial battle while Attackers are better than Shooters on a land battle. Snipers are somewhere in between. The issue with an aerial battle right now is..._

Takeshi calmly looked up at the sky.

A black ball was hanging over the area.

 _Why is a Gate opening up here of all places? We aren't too close to the Forbidden Area. What's more is... It's getting larger. Is sketching massive going to come through?_

As soon as he thought that an enormous beast made it through the large Gate in the sky.

An Illgar had appeared.

.

Koarai and Okudera also noticed the Gate opening as they dodged the three laser-like shots.

 _"What should we do? That's one that goes "KABOOOOOOM," right? We can't let that thing just fly around the area!"_

 _"I know! That's not everything, though! The smaller ones are also coming through! It's gonna end up being a full on aerial battle at this rate!"_

Grasshopper was an easy way for them to reach the ones in the air, but that would also mean losing their target. Their current objective was to take down Kotowari Squad.

Okudera pushed his teeth together as he dodged anger shot.

He thought about contacting Azuma but stopped when he saw something unexpected.

 _Why does he keep doing these things!?_

He looked towards the sky as their target jumped into the air. The laser-like shots stopped firing.

The use of Teleport was obvious as Takeshi continued to climb higher into the sky.

 _Is he going to try and escape on that thing? That's crazy! Won't he seem more suspicious like that?_

Okudera liked to think that Kotowari Squad had nothing to do with Neighbors, and so he pushed that thought away.

He turned to Koarai.

"We are going to follow-"

He didn't finish speaking.

The reason was simple.

He saw them all fall.

.

Takeshi knew he should not be using up a lot of Trion like this, but he also knew the danger these Neighbors posed to the city. While he did want to find his former captain, he was still a member of Border.

That was why he continued to fire relentless attacks at the enemies in the air.

"A Shooter is fine in an aerial battle. Although it's different here since you are providing me with a platform."

He stood on top of the large Illgar. Three Trion Orbs were above him, continually firing at the large Neighbor. Next to him was another set of Trion Orbs. These ones were different since they split up into smaller orbs and flew off to take out the Bados flying around like insects.

When he noticed that he was getting through to the underside of Illgar tentacles sprang up from the sides of the Illgar. They all faced him, ready to fire at him.

"Annoying."

One of the Trion Orbs that was firing the laser-like shots turned up and unleashed the laser-like shot at one of the tentacles. It was quick to destroy the tentacle before moving on to the others.

Once it was done with that it went back to firing at the Illgar.

"Just a little more..."

In no time at all the large Illgar let out a loud noise before it started to decend towards the earth.

Takeshi knew what had to be done, but he didn't know how to go about doing it.

 _"If you need some help, just ask! Don't be a tsundere!"_

Takeshi was amazed when he saw the sky fill up with blue plates. Each one was a Grasshopper plate.

He noted the amount of Trion that took before running over to the edge of the falling Illgar.

From his spot he could see Koarai and Okudera looking up at him, giving him the impression that they were also helping. He could also see two other people in the distance.

 _"You should probably jump off of that."_

The two voices he was hearing were very distinct and different. One was more upbeat, yet still sounded like he was a sane person. The other was a monotone voice that sounded dead inside.

"So those two are also here."

Doing as advised by the second voice, he took a large leap into the sky. The distance from the inside of the large Grasshopper barrier was rather long, but with him using Teleport it was only a few seconds away.

As he fell on the other side of the strange barrier he noticed what was happening to the falling Bados and the large Illgar.

"That was smart. They are using the Grasshoppers to push the Trion Soldiers towards the middle - where the water is. None of us have the actual strength to move that thing, so they're using something else."

It was rather interesting to see the large Trion Soldier get pushed from one side to the other until it was stuck fallin into the the water.

"That being said..."

 _"We know. Get ready to cover the area in a large barrier."_

Takeshi nodded his head the the blue plates disappeared and were replaced with green ones that lines the water one after the other. He followed everyone's lead and helped construct the barrier himself.

Once they finished the large barrier they prepared.

The large Neighbor blew up.

The shockwave was contained to the barrier, but the water flew into the air at a height that exceeded the barrier they had made.

They had made it like a tunnel so that it would be sturdy enough to handle the explosion. There were a few cracks on the barrier, but it held string against the explosion.

 _Now then..._

Takeshi landed on the railing once more, this time in front of the two Attackers.

The sky was no long clear and visable with the water flying in the air.

"The sky is clear, but it's raining. Hm. Poetic, but also unimportant."

As he spoke to the two in front of him, the water that flew into the air started raining down on the area. The large mass of water that had not separated slammed back down, creating waves that washed jeer the railings, yet did not move the Shooter.

"Shall we continue?"

The two members of Azuma Squad rushed forward as their target stood on the railing.

"!?"

They could not reach their target and were stopped a foot away from him.

The obstacles that had stopped them were standing in front of them, blocking their path.

Takeshi gave a small hum as he jumped off the railing and lightly landed on the ground.

"Thank you for the help, you two."

"No problem. Tobio would probably tell me off if I didn't protect you."

"Captain-san said to do as we want for this issue. I just chose to follow Shor-san."

Koarai and Okudera continued to push against the two in front of them.

Takeshi saw this and created two Trion Orbs.

The two Attackers quickly jumped back.

Takeshi began the fight once more by firing at the two opponents.

.

 _This isn't good. With both Shore and Girikage helping him..._

Okudera tightened his grip on his blade.

From the corner of his eye he could see Koarai slightly turn his head towards him.

 _"So what do you want to do? We can wait for backup. Or we could just take the three of them on ourselves."_

 _"They could do the same thing. ...This really is bad. This means that Hikigane Squad and Shore Squad are also against us. If this stayed a two-on-one fight we could win. A two-one-two fight is also manageable. The fact that the three of them aren't use to working together works well for us."_

He looked at their three opponents and got ready for the fight.

 _"Let's start by testing them out. We'll see how well they work together and go from there."_

Koarai gave a quick nod before the two of them ran forward.

The two of them saw Daigo and Noah take a step forward while Takeshi took a step back. It was to be expected for the Attacker and All-Rounder to defend their main long-range fighter.

The moment his left foot touched the ground he twisted his body and turned so that he pushed off the ground and went towards Noah - Koarai's current target. No one seemed surprised by this.

There was a few seconds of delay from Daigo and Takeshi, so he was able to get within striking distance of the underclassman.

"!"

He was not prepared for a blade to appear in front of his face. There was no time to kill his forward momentum, meaning he would run right into the sword and get the top half of his head cut off.

That was what should have happened.

.

From his spot in the back, Takeshi could observe everything going on in the fight.

He saw as Daigo made a quick move to the left to stop Okudera. The few seconds of lag made it more important to take longer steps than usual. It worked in the end seeing as how the Attacker managed to out his blade right in front of Okudera.

 _And so Koarai-senpai will..._

As he expected, Koarai turned his own body to hit the sword in the air so that his teammate would not get cut. That left an opening for Noah to come in.

 _Okudera-senpai will then..._

Takeshi nodded when he noticed Okudera place a Grasshopper plate in front of Noah, sending him flying back.

He looked a bit passed where Noah was sent flying and disappeared from where he stood.

He reappeared behind Noah and held out his hands, as if ready to push something.

When he felt the pair of feet connect with his hands he pushed forward so that the All-Rounder did not fall passed the railing and instead went forward once more.

 _Teleport._

Takeshi once again landed on the railing.

He could see the other four from that spot.

He saw how Okudera and Koarai moved around swiftly to either dodge or attack.

He saw how Daigo and Noah moved forward then backwards to block or bait out the other two.

He saw the four of them and nodded.

 _Now it's mine turn._

Two Trion Orbs appeared next to him as a larger one hung above his head.

 _"Girikage-senpai, Shor, in five seconds, move to the side and stay still."_

 _"Got it!"_

 _"Right."_

The Illgar and Bado had taken a good amounts of Trion to take out, but there was still enough to finish this fight. Once this was done he would be able to wait out a bit so he could construct a new body with full Trion.

He did not have as much Trion as his teammates, but it would still take a while to construct a new body and full Trion reserves again.

That meant this attack was crucial.

 _Here I go._

.

Okudera and Koarai continued to move around the two attacking with their blades.

They were wary of the shots coming from Takeshi, but noticed that he had yet to fire. That made it safe to assume that he was low on Trion.

 _That also means he's going to go for a bit attack._

Okudera mentally sighed.

 _"Koarai, watch out for Kotowari. When he let's out an attack, we are going to cut him down."_

 _"Can't you put that any better? He's our opponent, but he's still a cool guy."_

Okudera ignored him.

When the Trion Orbs appeared near the Shooter, the two of them got ready.

 _"Here it comes. Get ready!"_

The two with blades rushed towards them at a good speed. It was impressive how Daigo could manage an instantious level of speed while Noah's gradual build up of speed took less time because of the distance.

 _There are faster people._

The two of them managed to block the fast attacks while moving in towards each other. They were in range of both opponents while their opponents were just a bit away from striking distance.

 _"Make a quick switch! We need to-"_

"!?"

The moment all of their blades connected, the two in front of them moved to the side, putting them even further away from each other and even further out of striking range. It was hard to say if they could even attack the ones in front of them without taking an extra step anymore.

Then they saw it.

Two Trion Orbs were waiting in front of them while multiple small shadows hung over their head.

From a few feet in front of them, they could hear a voice.

"Asteroid. Viper."

They had no time to respond as the Trion Orbs in front of them fired laser-like beams while a rain of shots come down upon them. The range was from Noah to Daigo, meaning everything within that space was getting fired at.

Okudera and Koarai had both stepped closer to the middle of that space.

 _Damn!_

 _._

Takeshi let out a sigh as he fixed his scarf.

He watched as the two Attackers turned into light before flying off towards Border.

The other two there walked up to him, blades put away.

He looked at them before giving a bow.

"Thank you very much for your assistance. I wouldn't have been able to beat them without your help."

Noah waved his hand.

"It's fine, it's fine. We were just helping out because we wanted to. It was more of a selfish reason than you think."

"Kotowari-san, what exactly is going on? Captain-san had said not to pay too much attention to the message we had received, so I did just that. That was when he told us to do as we please."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know anything either. We moved out to figure out what was going on ourselves. We had ended up splitting up when we noticed that we were being followed. I guess those two were from that same group."

"I wonder why Mr. Azuma wasn't here. Is he going after Yuki himself? Hm~ Hm~ It would make sense."

"Regardless, if those two were sent after me, I'm a bit worried about who they went for the other three. I'm rather weak when compared to those three, so I can only image how they are doing."

Noah relaxed a bit while holding his hands behind his head.

He gave a small laugh.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. We both know how stubborn and stong Tobio is, so no worries there. And isn't Hoshi from that crazy family? They're all crazy, so she's fine. I think. Besides, I sent Prince over to find her. And Minu said she's going to watch Suzume's concert."

Daigo gave a nod as he placed his hand on the end of Kōgetsu.

"Right. Misaki-san's dances are great. I'm sure that whoever was sent to follow her will have a hard time getting through. She does no like her dances to be interrupted."

Noah tilted his head a bit at the odd way his upperclassman was speaking when it came to Suzume, but Takeshi knew well enough what he was talking about.

Each member of their squad was skilled in their own right. He was likely just worrying too much.

 _That's right. They will be-_

He stopped for a moment before lifting his scarf up and looking away.

The other two looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"I forgot... We were suppose to try and get them...on our side..."

* * *

Ninomiya Masataka was a dignified man as well as one of Border's best Shooters. His proficiency with Hound was astonishing and almost always right on the mark.

So why then, one has to wonder, was he have such a hard time firing?

 _This damn faker is hopping around like a monkey!_

He was running at high speed in rooftops with five others following behind him. Taking the lead meant he had a much better view if their target than the others.

"Uh... Ninomiya-san, are you sure firing like that will help? I know he's moving around a lot, but none of us can really move forward to capture him."

The poor Gunner who had spoken up fell back a few steps as soon as a harsh glare came from his captain. He fell next to Tsuji while letting out a small sigh.

He knew the reason for his captain's current short temper and knew that there wasn't much he could do to calm that temper.

Next to him, Tsuji gave a sympathetic look.

"This really is irritating, though. That fox ahead of us is jumping around to much for us to really focus on him. He's also too far ahead for us to just make a dash for him. Someone remind me to cut his legs off, if we even get to him."

"Good luck with that, I suppose. He'll probably have your head on the end of Idōgetsu before you can reach him."

Inukai knew he was sounding a bit rude by saying that, but he also knew just how skilled their target was. He knew much better than Ouji at least.

He turned his attention back to the front. It was a bit difficult to make out but their target was still there, running from one rooftop to another.

 _We can't lose him here. He has Bagworm on, so we really will lose him. The fact he's still within sight is probably because he's putting up a Shield to block some of Ninomiya-san's shots._

Looking around the area, Inukai noticed the streets below, and the people watching them. It really make a scene when multiple people were running on the rooftops while someone was ahead of them, jumping from the roofs and using the wires hanging around the area.

The only ones who could properly manage that were Border agents.

Looking ahead again, he frowned a bit.

"Ninomiya-san, I'm going to speed up a bit and try to circle around him! Is that fine!?"

"Fine!"

Inukai shrunk back a bit at the yell but got over it and jumped down from the roof.

He landed on his feet and made a quick dash forward.

.

Ouji saw this and gave a small look towards Kurauchi.

 _"Follow him. We'll make sure to catch that fox."_

Kurauchi nodded his head before following after Inukai.

That left four people running on the rooftops.

"Tsuji, go on the other side! I'll keep him busy up here, so keep low and attack when you find the chance!"

When he heard is, Ouji gave an order to Kashio to follow Tsuji.

That left the two captains moving forward on the roofs.

"And you..."

He looked forward as Ninomiya spoke up. The words were directed towards him, but the Shooter did not even turn his head.

Ouji gave a small grin as he ran a bit faster.

"Yes?"

"Don't get in our way. I won't hesitate to shoot those two down if they are in my line of fire. The same goes for you. I'll shoot you full of holes."

"Right, right. There is no need to worry. We all know how much you enjoy this fox hunt. We won't get in your way. And likewise... _I hope you guys don't get in our way._ "

He could hear a slight click of the tongue from Ninomiya and widened his grin.

"Our job here is to hunt down that fox. If that means we need to take some drastic measures then I am all for it. Trion body or not, I opt to smash him down so that he can't get back up and run away again. Wild animals like that are the most troublesome to catch a second time. You should know~"

He was referring to earlier in the day.

Their target had escaped from a group of A-Rank agents already.

"That being said..."

Ouji gave an audible gulp when he saw the cold look he was getting from Ninomiya.

It was a look he hadn't seen on the Shooter before.

There was a certain emotion in those eyes that made him a bit scared and forced him to slow his pace down a bit.

"Trion body or not, if you or your squad in get my way, I'll smash you down so that you can't get up again. I have informed Inukai and Tsuji to do the same, if they are stopped by those two. So... _I hope you don't get in our way."_

 _._

Yuki continued to maneuver around the area with relative ease as he was constantly fired at by his eternal enemy.

Using wires that were set up around the area, or jumping into alleyways, he managed to dodge attack after attack. He had Bagworm on while using small shields as defenses against any shots that managed to almost hit him.

 _So Ouji Squad has joined the fray as well, huh._

Taking a quick look behind him, he could see that only two people were chasing him now.

 _Tsuji and Inu must have moved to the side. Kurauchi and Kashio either went to the other side or followed those two. My field of vision is more wide than most people think, so I can see my sides better._

There were still a good amount of blind spots for the others to attack, but that meant they had to get up close to him or fire within his field of vision.

Yuki shook his head a bit.

 _I messed up and let them find me like that. Well, I guess that's to be expected from that airhead and his team. I can't say it wouldn't be too hard to find them, if I wanted. But who would ever want to find that damn airhead anyways!? Maybe Mino, but I stick to him just being a bit crazy for wanting to be with that asshole._

Yuki nodded a few times to himself, to make sure what he was saying was the truth.

Even if he was lying to himself, he would turn that lie into a truth so that he could properly feel sorry for his friend and hate Ninomiya even more.

"Now then-"

Yuki's vision went blurry for a brief moment as he got ready to jump to the next building. That was also when he felt something itching in the back of his mind.

His next move, to most people, seemed like an unnecessary one.

To others, it was the right choice.

 _Teleport!_

Instead of using his speed to cross the gap between the two buildings he decided on using Teleport to cross it.

Once he was over it, he could see why his intuition flared up.

 _So Inu and Kurauchi were waiting there. I see, I see. So that means..._

Instead of using his legs to run and build up speed over time, Yuki used his legs to push off the roof of the building to gain a bust of speed.

The area where he had ran by was under fire from a Gunner Trigger.

 _Gradual speed put less of a burden on the body than bursts of speed. What's more is that gradual speed allows for continuous fast movement while bursts of speed end up slowing you down after they are used._

His teacher had taught him that when he was just starting out. Whether it was for class or Border he never figured out. Regardless, it apply to both.

There were multiple things his teacher had taught him about fighting. One other thing that had been drilled into him was to always be alert for attackers all around you.

That lesson was how he managed to lean forward and duck under Tsuji's strike while moving forward to escape any secondary attacks.

He was prepared for the shots being fired from his left, his right, and above him. It was more difficult since there were even more shots being fired, but it was manageable when he was so close to the edge of the roof.

He was keeping ahead of everyone's shots, so he thought he was safe.

Once he got more distance between everyone, he would find somewhere to lay low. It would most likely he a quick place with little to actually hide him, but it was filled with houses. Those might be meaningless against these agents, but they could hide him from their vision.

He ran along the roofs and toward the main road.

And just as his foot was going to step on the edge of the final roof, Inukai rushed forwards with his gun raised towards him.

"There!"

Firing the gun here would give some time to Inukai so the other could catch up.

And that was not all. His legs were longer than Yuki's, giving him less distance to cross per step. So he ran with an extra step as if ready for Yuki to teleport again.

The shots were going to catch up to him and fire, so Yuki made a split second decision.

"Idōgetsu! Senku!"

The Gunner down below was blocked by the roof so his blade could not reach him, but he was cutting something else entirely.

 _...The edge of the roof!_

With a slicing sound, the edge of the roof he was to step on slipped down.

As soon as his diagonal cut created a gap, he rotated as if throwing himself forward and he sent his body into that gap. An instant later, Inukai's shots flew by his back near his butt. If he had continued to run, it would have hit his waist.

He forcefully extended his left leg in midair to distort his rotation and thus alter the timing of his landing. He used his now odd trajectory to give himself the time needed to lift his body upwards. He landed precisely when his center of gravity was not shifted too far down.

He looked forward from his crawling stance and saw the houses.

He dashed.

There were far less people around now that they were no longer with the more populated area of Mikado City.

He did have some other bullrings to cross, though.

As he did cross one of them, a blade was ready and waiting for him. It belonged to Kashio, who was already in mid-swing.

Using his Bagworm, Yuki managed to catch the sword and redirect it toward the ground.

With another burst of speed, he moved forward. Kashio seemed to be the last of the current attackers. Everyone else was too far to land any accurate attacks.

That was a relief to him.

As he ran, he noticed two people walking in the opposite direction as him.

Killing his momentum right now would be difficult, but if he didn't then he would run into them at full force. He would feel no pain from it.

 _Crap!_

That didn't mean they wouldn't.

Forcing his feet to stop in trout of him, his feet tried desperately to grab onto the ground and stop his movement enough for him to forcibly twist his body into a spin. He went into the air while rotating to the right.

He crashed into a tree as the two people came by.

"Hey! Are you okay!? You hit the tree really hard!"

Opening his eyes, Yuki saw two familiar faces. They were familiar in the sense that he knew them, as well as in the sense of them looking like someone else.

He stood up and dusted himself off.

 _The two younger Arashiyama siblings. Man, I'm glad I did that. No way can I hurt them when Arashiyama and I care for our siblings as much as we do._

He nodded to himself while the other two looked at him oddly.

"Tsukiko-san, why were you running like that?"

 _I can't actually tell them what's going on. They might hear it from their brother later on, but I can't bring myself to say anything about this to them._

Making a choice, he started to speak.

"Ah. Some of us Border members are testing something out. It's kind of like a game of Tag. The thing is, I'm the target. Everyone is chasing after me. I have a chance of getting others on my side, but for the most part, everyone is against me."

He mentally nodded to make sure that what he was saying was the truth he wanted.

"So, if you see your brother, can you guys tells him not to chase me and be on my side instead?"

The two gave their nods.

Yuki smiled at them and made a mental note to get them treats later on.

"Alright then. I'll see you two later."

Turning his head to the side, he was gone.

The two siblings looked at each other and shrugged.

That was the truth they were told.

* * *

The strange woman before them continued to sway as if dancing to some unheard music. A smile was on her face as he hips moved and was followed by her upper body. She held her arms under her breasts, making them pop out more, which just made her dance all the more enticing.

None of them moved.

They all knew what she was capable of as a Sniper, but this was different. Their opponent was not acting as a sniper, but as a strange dancing woman. To call it a fight would be wrong. It was more like a buch of guys ganging up on a woman.

Even so, she continued to dance to that unheard music.

"Heh heh heh. Well, aren't any of you going to attack me? I thought your job was to honestly keep us of Kotowari Squad away from this confrontation. You are all honestly smart enough to know that we will help our former captain."

Arashiyama was the one to take a step forward and speak up.

"Suzume, you know we won't hurt you when you're in your real body. That being said, we won't just let you go either."

She gave a small laugh before spreading out her arms.

"Splendid! Excellent! That's the thing I would expect to hear from you, Arashiyama-san!" She nodded towards the ground before facing up again. "But I honestly have one complaint with that. If you are going to say something like that, please say it with more conviction. Raise your Trigger and aim it right here! Yes, yes! Right here! My left boob should be fine! That's where my heart is! Aim it right there and then I'll believe you are ready to stop us from assisting Yuki-san!"

Yoneya gave a whistle as he readied his spear.

"She sure is talkative now."

 _"Don't listen to her rambling. Focus on what's going on and get ready for when she pulls her Trigger out."_

"You sound kinda pissed, Narasaka. You sure you can shoot her?"

 _"Why wouldn't I?"_

Yoneya shrugged and looked towards his captain.

Miwa was ready for a fight as well, much more than their assisting squad. The whole Squad was ready to fire or cut her up the moment she went into her Trion-made body.

"Shouhei, can you shoot her?"

 _"...Yes."_

 _So that's a "no."_

Looking around, he saw that both Arashiyama and Tokieda had their Triggers raised, but not as if to shoot her down. It seemed more like they raised them up as simply a threat.

Then there was the other member of Arashiyama Squad.

 _"Everyone, we need to be careful."_

It was a warning from the third sniper hiding - Satori Ken.

His tone was different than before. It sounded like he was too serious for this, which was odd.

 _"When she brings out her Trigger, don't attack her. Let her finish up then go in to attack."_

"Are you really on our side? Or do you just want to see her move around with those big boobs?"

 _"What do you mean, Ken?"_

 _"She doesn't like her dances interrupted. If we try and interrupt her while she continues then we won't be getting anywhere. If we let her finish up her dance then we can start attacking."_

 _"This isn't a game, Satori. Stay focus and put your own feelings aside. We have to attack her the moment she pulls it out. She can't see us, so she can't use her Side Effect, and she was never the type of person to take on a barrage by herself."_

 _"_ That doesn't mean she can't. _I know her best, so I know what she can do. Just don't attack her."_

Everyone else could feel the tension between the two of them, but said nothing about that. They focused more on their target.

It was Miwa who managed to stop them.

"Both of you, get ready to fire. We are going to continue attacking here. Be careful, though. We apparently don't know everything she can do." He looked to the side. "Arashiyama."

"...Right."

.

Suzume could only give a sad smile as she noticed the four surrounding her get ready to attack her.

 _Ken-kun knows me best, so he knows what's going to happen. I guess they didn't listen to him. Hm. I'll make sure to smother him later to honestly make him feel better._

She nodded to herself again.

As she continued to dance, she felt something vibrate in her pocket. That was the signal for her.

"Heh heh heh. Well, I said I would honestly be putting on a concert, so I should follow through! You are all my audience, so try your best not to interrupt my dance or I will have to make sure to kick your asses later! Got it!?"

She spoke with a loud voice as she reached into her pocket. A small shadow appeared above her and slowly grew in size.

"Now then, let's begin! This will be my light stage!"

In one quick motion, she held out her arm with her Trigger grasped firmly in her hand. A second later she was in her Trion Body.

The first to make a move was Yoneya.

He was followed by shots from others and Miwa going in for a pincer attack.

"Heh~"

None of the attacks aimed at the strange woman made contact.

The two who had gone in for cutting attacks cut the air while the shots fired were blocked by green shields.

Yoneya carried out his second attack, but Suzume's voice continued as soon as he had dashed and swung his spear.

"How inelegant. Hornets are honestly suppose to land on a person, not be grabbed by the wings."

Yoneya turned toward the voice behind him.

He saw a smile amid the waving hair and swaying body.

"Don't think I honestly have no means of attack. Don't forget that hornets have stingers. Let your guard down and I will sting you. And I will not stop until you are completely down," said her opponents. "Now, show me whether you can reach this flying hornet or not. As long as I continue this dance, I fly through the air, a place where you can honestly hope to reach."

As she spoke, she held her hand to the sky. Something fell into her palm. It was a wireless microphone.

And she moved. She swayed, stretched her gently moving body, raised her arms, and opened her mouth.

"-!"

With a smile, she let out a voice. It was a type of tuning that seemed to call in something.

The small shields performed mid-air acrobatics and Suzume swayed as the shields began to fall. But this was not the gentle swaying from before. She made clear steps.

She moved up and down, her hair, clothes, and body waved about, and her sleeves audibly struck the air.

And something else joined that noise.

"A nice fox...reversing truth and lies."

The shields fell to her shoulder, but her body swayed once more.

"Let me...see the truth."

Her voice was higher and more drawn-out than before.

"Lovely fox...reversing the lies...and the truth."

Her words passed through the air.

None of them recognized the words. That did not matter, though, since they continued in with their attacks. Although, it was hard to ignore the singing altogether, and...

 _Not good,_ thought Arashiyama. _What should we_ _do?_

"Enter the star festival."

Her words were picking up pace. This was not the normal tempo for her songs. It was a quick four-on-the-floor arrangement meant for fast movement dancing. As the tempo rose and the dance picked up speed, the density of the dance rose dynamically.

 _...Is this what Ken was talking about!?_

Her Side Effect was a strange one that let her find a person's "Rhythm," as she liked to call it. That was what was going on here. She already knew all of their "Rhythms" which gave her the best way of dodging their attacks, or blocking them. She was rejecting them all for interrupting her dance.

And none of them had landed an attack yet. The fact that their attacks could not reach Suzume proved that.

But he knew one solution.

 _...Her Side Effect isn't perfect._

If their opponent was dodging and blocking by speeding up and singing, they could reach her by moving faster and with more accuracy than her.

They were bombarding her with attacks from all angles and with different Triggers, but that meant nothing when she continued to create small shields for defense that easily got replaced after being destroyed, and moving around to dodge attacks.

 _But,_ thought Arashiyama. _We can still win this._

If their opponent was dancing, they would use speed and their numbers. They could get through this strange defense.

"..."

He relayed this to everyone else in preparation for that.

As their opponent sang and gently built up speed, they built up their own speed by moving sideways and forwards.

"Walk through those gates to the other side."

And they moved forward to gain passage.

.

A sound rang out.

The wind blew and shadows danced.

A gray dance blossomed in the center and a wind repeatedly rushed through the surroundings.

In the wind, only human shadows and flashes could be seen.

The shaking of the ground and the stepping of feet created a reverberation, hair whipping in the wind created a rustling, and clothes flapping about creating a beat in the air.

"You will find them."

She sang with a smile in her voice.

"You will guide them."

The surrounding noises provided accompaniment.

"The draining star river."

But the noises attempted to drown out the voice.

"The wolf playing the melodious harp."

Again and again, the noises rang out.

"The chains binding fate."

Gray clothing danced in the center.

"Lovely fox, find the crazed lion."

The surrounding air enveloped her.

"True fox, become the shield."

The park's trees and the large buildings' windows produced noise.

"Wonderful fox, love the lion."

However...

"Nice fox reversing truth and lies."

She began the second loop.

She did not stop, she did not cease, and she did not pause. Her speed only grew.

"...!"

The sounds and her movements overlapped.

.

The speed grew. As if the noise had grown, the wind blew again and again.

"Hey... Look at that," said the people watching the performance.

The looked within the wind noisily surrounding the dance.

"Their shadows look like they're dancing..."

As several people made similar dumbfounded comments, many different human figures began to appear within the wind.

High-speed movement and attacks repeated again and again. The movement was difficult to see, but that movement stopped slightly in the instant of attack. Repeating this so many times produced an amazing sight.

Arashiyama Squad and Miwa Squad could be seen around the dancing gray hornet as they attempted to gain passage for their attacks.

The location of their attacks changed based on the movements of the dance, so they did not appear in just one location.

"Wait a second..."

Their attacks seemed to mix together as if they were all one attack. At some point it seemed more like two or three stong people were facing off against the dancer instead of two A-Rank Squads.

But they could still not catch up. The dance was quick, accurate, singing, and noisy.

"She's smiling..."

The hornet danced while ignoring the blades that should have stabbed into her countless times, as well as the shots that could pierce her from multiple directions. The people then noticed that the type of dance was changing.

"She's dancing with her opponents."

She was using everyone's movements as a part of the dance. Having seen through the movements of their arms, legs, and bodies, she would draw back when the they moved forward and pursue when they moved back.

It was as if she had taken their hands one at a time.

And the dance changed to match. As she matched the dance to the attacks, it sped up even further.

"She's swallowing them up."

Suzume included Arashiyama Squad and Miwa Squad's attacks in her dance and raised the difficulty level. The more they raised their speed, the higher the flight of the hornet that devoured that speed.

And so the sound of the wind grew. Sweat flew, the wind burst, and...

"Oh!"

That voice was accompanied by an action. This was Yoneya's cry as they attacked.

"Ohhhh!"

Their speed added power to the attacks and dust scattered.

That dust was Trion. All of their attacks were strengthened by Trion. Each time one of her many shields broke it was scattered about.

They were catching up. As they tried to take the lead in the dance, that dust flew amid a great noise.

"Ohhhhh!"

His tearing shout produced color.

That color was green. As Suzume danced, several green lines raced across her false skin.

The attacks was reaching her. The attacks attempted to forcefully pluck the hornet's wings.

"..."

Small amounts of Trion could be seen leaking from the minor attacks she was receiving.

But the hornet did not end its dance.

Even as the sky's wind raged about, the hornet continued looking higher.

The song entered a new loop.

* * *

As wind blew through the park and the noise shook the ground, Noah asked the others a question.

"Is she okay!?"

He stood there with Daigo, Takeshi, and the other two from his squad, watching the dance. He felt the situation had gone beyond a battle between allies and reached a deadly state.

 _...If Suzume's defenses are broken..._

All the attacks would likely destroy here right away.

He felt a bad feeling in the bottom of his gut.

"She will be fine," said Takeshi as he fixed his scarf.

Noah turned toward him and saw Takeshi's eyebrows raised as he looked down at the park. His expression betrayed his words, so it seemed he had been speaking to reassure himself.

"She will be fine. Remember, we want to get people on our side, so that's why we can't interfere right now."

"But..."

"Suzume-senpai will not lose."

The instant Takeshi said that, there was a noise from somewhere else.

* * *

As Suzume sang and danced within the wind, she thought.

 _...This is wonderful. Great!_

These were good opponents. Not many people in Border could reach this speed without something extra.

 _Such honestly wonderful opponents,_ she thought. _Since they're all_ _boys, there is a sensual side too, but with a girl it is...um... What do you call it? Let's see... Oh, well. I forget. But that is fine. I make the rules after all._

 _...But this is honestly wonderful._

Her opponents were keeping up, so she brought her dance to the next level.

But her opponents kept up with that as well. They forcibly kept up as if clinging to Suzume.

 _...This is fun._

She did not feel she was being forced higher. After all, a girl was supposed to run away and have her opponents chase after her. There was beauty in running away so she could not be caught.

At the moment, she was moving.

Her hair shook, and her Trion leaked from her cuts. All sounds seemed like the beating of her heart. Well, she imagined it did. She could not feel her heart while in her current body, but she thought about it as if it were there right now.

She felt as if speaking out would expose her passion, will, the image of her beating heart, and everything else to the outside world.

It felt wonderful.

Her movements reached their peak, she demonstrated her will as much as possible, and the beating of her currently non-existent heart grew to the extreme.

"-!"

And she exposed it all. All of her was defenseless. This was not something she could do often.

 _But,_ she thought. _This is not enough._

There was a time long ago when she had cried with everything she had.

 _...Even this dance is nowhere close to that._

There had been a few times when she had tried to reach that point again, but she had never been able to reach that truly defenseless state a second time. No matter how far she took the dance, she could not catch up to that instant in the past.

She recalled what she had been exposing back then.

She recalled the past.

 _...That was..._

* * *

Yoneya thrust the tip of his spear toward Suzume's chest.

He did not hold back. He added the force of the thrusting spear to his own speed to increase the speed of the attack. He could not reach this opponent without doing so.

Their speed was already near its limit. They were all mentally exhausted from this whole thing and seemed ready for a break. Their movements were slowing down a bit and they all seemed less focused.

The bottom of his foot audibly struck the ground and that force added to his speed.

"Ohhhh!"

Trion bursted out.

"!"

He made it through.

The tip of his spear continued past that special barrier that felt gentle and viscous.

He continued on. And the blade arrived at Suzume's chest. For just an instant, the tip pressed in the white skin, but the elasticity of the skin quickly caused it to return and the blade stabbed through.

His weapon pierced their opponent.

He did not hold back. Green Trion that looked like steam rose between the tip and the rest of the blade. It fizzled in the air and was gone a moment later.

And yet Yoneya saw a smile on Suzume's face ahead of her.

She showed off her teeth and seemed to be enjoying herself.

But...

"-"

As her lips moved, she was no longer singing.

Her dance had stopped and her movements had taken a different form.

Yoneya had caught up, but Suzume had not stopped.

"Why don't you shout out as if crying?" she asked while still smiling.

Yoneya heard her laugh.

And then Suzume loosened her cheeks, bent her eyes in a smile, and drew back her head.

She twisted her body, held her arms forward so as to lift up her breasts, and stuck out her tongue.

"That should do it, right? Have I honestly proven myself to you all yet? We have all shown just how serious we are on this whole matter. Since we have come this far, why don't we figure out exactly where we all stand on this matter."

Yoneya quickly jumped back as she moved her arms a bit more under her breasts.

"I am honestly asking you all to help us out with this. We want to help Yuki-san. From the dance we all just did, I can tell that none of you are really putting too much effort into taking me down."

No one made a move to deny here.

Even Narasaka, someone who she got into regular arguments, said nothing on the matter.

"Now then. Before any of us starts honestly wasting Trion again, which side do you all pick? Think it over, but please don't take too long. I honestly have places to be."

It was suppose to be an easy question to answer. They should not have needed any time to think it over, yet here they were, deciding in what to do.

Suzume simply stood there, still moving a bit.

She looked at all of them and let out a small laugh.

 _Let's see what they pick._


	6. North and South: Part 3

**Chapter 6:** North and South: Part 3

* * *

Bare your fangs at the mighty

May these be the chains that bind fate

* * *

"What to do..."

Kako questioned herself as she walked through Mikado City. She was in her real body while her Trigger was being twirled in her hand.

She had thought about going for a drive or start cooking some fried rice, but this did not feel like the time to do that. There were too many things Goong in at once for anyone in Border to just take a moment and relax.

For someone like her it was more true.

She was on good terms with Yuki - they shared a love for bashing on Ninomiya - but the real issue was not him. It was Takaoto Mei.

To bring down Mei it would take a good amount of Border's forces and around fifth different strategies. Then they would have to come up with around a hundred different counter-strategies. Even so, that was still not the main reason why that woman was an issue.

 _I just don't like being on the opposite side of her. Even with Yuki-kun at her side, I still want to watch out for her._

She let out a small sigh as she stopped twirling her Trigger and held it in her hand.

"My team was already sent out to find anyone who is willing to help them, so for the time being... I need to figure this out."

She stopped under a nearby tree for some shade as she started thinking over everything.

Like everyone else, she wanted to find out what was going on in the city. What she had been shown was too unbelievable for her, so she chose not to believe it. That meant she would have to find a reason to substitute that truth for her own.

That was more difficult for anyone who wasn't Yuki.

Shaking her head a bit, she got ready to start her search for anyone on Yuki's side.

"-!?"

The moment she opened her eyes, a noise blasted through the area and something went flying passed her.

It felt more like something had sped by her instead of going by.

Turning around she saw a certain A-Rank at the other end of the road. There was a line of destroyed concrete leading up to her, making it obvious that she used the road to stop herself from flying anymore.

Something else came out from the direction she had come from.

Mei was quick to react by using one hand to perform a handstand and throw her leg forward to block the two blades that were aimed at her. Her boots managed to kicked the two swords away while also rotating her to the left.

She used the momentum from the rotation to kick another blade away.

In the same motion as her kicks, he jumped back to her feet and took a leap backwards.

Kako looked over at Mei and their eyes met. She could see Mei looking at her with a somewhat pleasing look.

A third person come up from where Mei and Gensō had rushed out of. This person was also a girl, but she had no blades on her.

"Kako-san, please help us capture her."

Kako looked over to see Kōchō Kashi getting ready to fire some shots at Mei.

Before she could fire, Mei made a large leap into the air before using a nearby building as a springboard and flying off somewhere else.

The B-Rank Motojime Squad turned in the direction she had went and started the chase once more.

That left Kako standing there, surprised at what she just saw.

"..."

Tightening her grip on her Trigger, she started walking away while muttering under her breath, "Trigger on."

The difficult choice she could not make had just been decided.

She was now on the move.

* * *

The first move made was not by the wolf who was grinning, the cat in red or the small puppy with a frown. No. The first move was made by the butterfly with purple poison.

Kuroe Futaba had sprung out from the shadows with a zig-zag streak trailing after her.

Toby continued to face away from the rushing agent. Even when she got closer, all he did was place his right foot a bit forward.

In one quick motion his upper body bent while his left leg went into the air. With a powerful push from his right leg his body started to rotate while sending him into the air. The rotation managed to spin him in the same direction Kuroe was going.

Kitora was amazed that he had managed that in the small amount of time he had from when Kuroe charged him to the point of reaching him.

 _His Side Effect is still troublesome to deal with._

She saw a shadow come down on the plaza and looked up to see Midorikawa slam to the ground.

He pushed off the ground with a Scorpion blade in hand as Kuroe turned around for a second attack. They both reached him at the same time.

Kitora was about to take a step forward when she noticed that even when he landed on the ground he was still rotating. It was odd until she realized what he was going to do.

"Get back, you two!"

The moment she yelled that, it happened.

One after another, Scorpion blades sprang out from Toby's body as he rotated on one foot. The forward force that Midorikawa and Kuroe had pushed them right into the spinning blades with almost no way to stop.

Through some quick thinking Midorikawa set out two Grasshopper plates for both of them to step on so that they would be forced back.

Kitora felt that she should move forward to help Midorikawa and Kuroe, but she could not move an inch forward. There was nothing physically stopping her, but there was just a feeling that made her stay in place.

 _It can't be Awdry. I have gone against him multiple times before with no problem. Besides, Midorikawa-kun is more attached to him than me, so he should be the one having trouble fighting._

She shook her head as she continued to watch everything happen.

She watched as Midorikawa and Kuroe made an advance forward.

She watched as Toby dodged and countered.

She was nothing more than a watcher seeing a show put on in the plaza.

She quickly raised the gun in her hand up while also bringing out a Scorpion blade, yet she made no love to use them.

 _Am I just waiting? I'm fine with fighting Awdry, but am I just waiting to hear that we are helpin them one tad of fighting them?_

That made no sense to her.

There was no way that her captain would agree to help them after chasing them like this. He would just contact her to tell her that they had taken out Suzume and nothing more.

* * *

Toby could only continue to grin as he moved around on light feet.

He moved around attacks as if gliding on the ground while his own attacks were powered by him stomping his feet in the ground for more balance. He had learned these kinds if things from his three mentors.

When he thought about them, his grin grew wider.

 _They took time out of their days to help me out! No way am I going to lose!_

As he continued the fight he noticed what was going on with his two opponents, as well as the watcher.

Midorikawa was pulling his punches while Kuroe was trying to make up for Midorikawa's lackluster attacks. In the back Kitora seemed to be making a choice.

He knew that there was no way for him to actually take on all three A-Ranks if they were more focused and using everything they had.

 _It would put way too much pressure on me. My SE wouldn't be too useful. Guess I got lucky~_

Toby's grin turned into a small smile.

 _It's not the first time. The fact I have people like them to notice these things means I'm lucky. The fact there is someone like Yuki to fight for means I'm lucky. The fact that I can even say that I'm lucky means that I so damn lucky!_

As his attitude went up with his thoughts, his movements did as well.

Midorikawa and Kuroe were getting easier to deal with for him. When one would move back, he would move forward. When they moved forward, he would move back.

While Suzume could dance around her opponents and create a stage from the battlefield, Toby managed to create a play in the plaza with the ones who went with his moves.

Feeling his kind go into a wonderful place, Toby took a large step forward and pushed the ground again.

With the burst of speed he caught Kuroe off guard and rushed passed her while taking a portion of her side.

"C'mon you two! Shun! I know you're better than this! This kind of fight is no fun at all! Holding back is for people who can actually do it without messing up! So get your ass in gear and fight for real!"

Like an excited dog he let everything in his head out. There was no reason for him not to say something when he knew that his friend was being stupid.

He let out a laugh when he saw blue plates surrounding him and Midorikawa running towards him.

With a smile still on his face he curled his upper body up and bent forward while his back facing the sky.

 _Hedgehog!_

With a mental shout he felt something hit the blades coming out of his back. He could see the blur known as Midorikawa leave the area and move back towards Kuroe, who then took her chance to rush forward with Idaten.

Toby made no immediate move to dodge. Instead he looked forward with one thought in mind.

 _Teleport!_

The moment Kuroe passed by, Toby was in the air.

He rotated his body so that his front would fall onto her.

He knew for a fact that he was moving fast, even faster than his opponents, but everything seemed slow to him. It was not unheard of for people in the middle of intense situations to perceive things slower than how they are actually going.

His own body felt light, yet he was landing hard hits.

His own body moved in regular ways, yet he felt like he was twisting and contorting his body oddly.

As he fell to the ground he made sure to cut Kuroe's back deeply. Large amounts of Trion could he seen leaking from the two gashes on her back.

He jumped back when she turned around swiftly.

He turned to the right and made another leap while letting Midorikawa pass by him.

Using this chance he bent back so that his hands touched the ground. Lifting his lower-body, he brought out a Scorpion blade and managed to cut a part of the younger one's arm.

 _That was his second attack after what I told him. It would have gotten me if I wasn't fast and had my SE. Good job, Shun! That's how I want this fight to be!_

Toby lowered his upper-body once more while spreading out his arms. His feet were firmly planted in the ground and his grin was more feral than before.

In one push he was rushing forward. If he bent any lower then he would be running on all fours.

He passed by Midorikawa and took his side as he had with Kuroe.

He moved to the side to dodge the attack coming from behind. That ended up putting him in a spot for Midorikawa to come in and strike.

He moved back and held his shoulder as Trion started leaking from the cut that was there.

Midorikawa and Kuroe seemed to be getting in synch.

Meanwhile...

.

Toby knew that it was a bad idea to look away from this fight, but he couldn't help himself. There was something that was bothering him to no end and he wanted to check on it.

He looked over to the side and saw Kitora still just standing there, as if she was trying to solve some hard puzzle.

 _C'mon, Ai, you're also suppose to be on stage. Don't just stand back and be a watcher. You aren't someone who just stands in the crowd. Get your ass in gear and fight me already._

He let out a small sigh when he knew that his thoughts wouldn't reach her.

He focused back in on his current opponents and made a decision.

He got back in his animal-like stance and got ready to attack once more.

 _Even if I am enjoying this fight... I need to check up on everyone else. Leaving Takeshi like that was a bit hard for me to do, but I know he can manage. What's more... We need to find Yuki or Mei!_

As if their minds were linked together, all three of the, rushed to meet in the middle.

Midorikawa was first to reach him.

The two exchanged blows for a few seconds before Toby got the upper hand by using the younger one's arm as a springboard to throw himself inti the air.

Kuroe met him in the air, but she couldn't do much with her straight and narrow attack. There was less freedom to her attack, but it held more power.

"-!"

A Scorpion blade spung out from Toby's foot the moment she entered the sky with him. The blade was light in weight, but it was enough to offset his awkward form. He was able to force his body to spin a once again.

His weaker blades clashed with her stronger one.

As she pushed him back, he pushed her harder.

Their mid-air battle was only a few seconds before they started to fall.

Once they hit the ground, Toby was gone and appeared in front of her before passing by her in an instant. He held a Scorpion blade out in front of him.

"..."

Kuroe said nothing as her upper-body fell towards the ground while her lower-body fell to its knees.

 **Bail Out.**

Toby took no time to see her fly off and instead got ready to finish the fight with Midorikawa.

When he turned around he saw it.

Kitora had made the first step forward.

"Sorry, Ai, but you're a bit late here. I never thought you would be the one to-"

"Midorikawa-kun, I have a question for you."

Toby took a step back when Kitora continued forward with what seemed like new resolve. He wasn't prepared for her to interrupt him like that.

Midorikawa gave a small nod as she walked up to him.

"Do you have the resolve to fight against them? Can you really say you are making a choice you want to make as you fight against Awdry? What if you find Tsukiko-san? When it's over, will you be able to say that you felt completely fine fighting them?"

"What? Why are you asking this right now...?"

Toby could see it. There was hesitation with his words and movements.

 _But why is Ai asking this now?_

That was when he realized it.

He lowered his guard and shook his head.

A frown was on his face as he turned away.

"Please, just answer. If you can't say you were fine with everything you have done the decide on the side you are on."

"I am...on...Border's side... I think... I'll just...follow the orders..."

Kitora nodded as a Scorpion blade formed in her hand.

She had not made any progress to her own answer, but so ething had definitely changed to force her to one side. Even if it was by force, she had a feeling that she would not come to regret the choice forced upon her.

She turned to Midorikawa and spoke.

"That's fine. I'm actually in a similar situation. But there are now other things for me to do."

Jist as he turned his head towards her, she cut his head clean off his body.

"Oh... I get it. Alright. You two, please, figure out what's going on."

 **Bail Out.**

He turned into a flash of light that sped towards Border.

Kitora turned back to Toby and let out a sigh.

"I just received some information. Because of Misaki-senpai, both Arashiyama Squad and Miwa Squad will now be helping out Kotowari Squad, Shor Squad and Hikigane Squad in assisting Tsukiko Yuki."

"Okay. That's good to know. Heh. Of course Suzume would be the one to make things change so drastically."

Toby turned around and started walking away.

Kitora said nothing as she followed him.

"So, Ai, let's go meet up with everyone."

* * *

There was a high amount of tension in the air as the two squads stood on a building. Most of them we quietly watching while three of them were having some issues.

Ouji looked rather nonchalant as he was glared down by Ninomiya. The look from Inukai wasn't so great either, but he ignored him as well.

"I know some others were sent to watch Kotowari Squad, but I still think that we should just get them ourselves. We can just beat them then knock them unconscious. It won't he too hard. They're all just animals, in the end."

"Just stop talking already. I'm trying to think of what to do now. That faker is fast, but he wouldn't run towards some random place. Is there anything particular in the direction he ran?"

"Don't you think you're giving that fox too much credit? Any animal would be desperate when chased into a corner. He's no different."

Inukai could see that his captain was ready to start firing at Ouji and thought it would be better to stop the incoming fight.

 _Even if I want to do something myself._

He forced a smile while walking between the two of them.

"Toby, Hoshi-chan and Takeshi live in the opposite direction. I can't say where Suzume-chan lives, though. Maybe her house is in that direction?"

"His own house is also a long ways away. That means Takaoto's is also far away. You might be right here. Hiyami, do you know where Misaki lives?"

 _"Yes. I've been invited a few times there. She does live in the area up ahead."_

Ninomiya nodded his head before turning back to everyone.

Inukai let out a small breath when a fight didn't break out.

 _That's good. I know that Ninomiya-san really would start shooting like crazy at him if he didn't stop talking bad about Yuki._

He couldn't help the small smile on his face when he thought about it.

 _I'm glad to be one of the few people to know how much those two respect each other. That's the only reason why their both fine even after being at each other's throats all the time._

He turned his attention to Ouji, who was listening to his captain explain their next plan of action.

 _Then there's him... His spite towards Yuki is kind of amazing. It's not hate like Ninomiya-san, or even annoyance like Kido-san. It's just...spite. Is there something I didn't even know about when it comes to those two? Well, if anyone is going to know, it's either Murakami or Mei."_

Shaking his head a bit, he heard the rest of what Ninomiya was saying.

Their next move would be to send one team towards the area where Yuki had run off to while the other team would stay in their current area and keep watch to see if anyone particular showed up.

That's when he raised his hand. Ouji spoke with with a smug expression.

"You three can stay here. You might end up scaring any residence in the area with that kind of look. Besides, my team is more than capable of catching a pitiful wild fox on our own. You can just over here and relax."

That seemed to be the last straw as multiple triangles made of Trion appeared. Not only had Ouji once again spoke about Yuki as if he was just some pathetic creature but he also spike about them as if they were incapable of doing their job.

Inukai got ready with his gun while Tsuji started for the hilt of Kōgetsu.

Kashio and Kurauchi looked ready for a fight as well.

Ouji just continued to look on with a smug expression.

"Alright. Let's get going. We have work to do."

With that, he started off towards the direction Yuki had ran off to.

That left Ninomiya Squad to stand there with frowns on their faces

* * *

 _This is quite troubling._

Hoshi knew that there were better words to describe her predicament, but she also didn't want to say thos words. Those words were the kind of words her sister used, so she really didn't want to use them.

It was not an untrue statement.

Her objective was not to defeat these three opponents but to see if they would be willing to help them in helping Yuki.

That was a bit difficult when she was being bombarded by attacks from them. She had a defense up, but it wouldn't hold out forever.

That was when she remembered something rather important.

 _They told me that I could rely on them if I needed to._

Nodding to herself, she contacted her team.

"Um... Excuse me. If anyone could answer, that would be nice. Ah. Well, I need help with my current situation. I have been practicing with Waka-kun and Miura-senpai, but I am still not how to deal with this. And Katori-san hates me, so she never joined in on training."

The response from the other three came immediately.

 _"Uwah! Hoshi-chan, you are so adorable! I think I just fell in love with how cute you are! Can I honestly adopt you as a second younger sister!? Please!"_

 _"Oh, Yoko. Don't mind her. She's usually like that with people like us. Just ignore her and try to talk to the other two. You'll have better luck."_

 _"I don't talk to them much. Sorry. Also, don't listen to the other two."_

She was quick to ignore all three of them while thinking of different ways to make something good to eat once everything was done.

 _Does this mean I have gotten too use to their usual antics? Maybe I should be careful so I don't end up doing something like buying an anteater._

It was a tempting thought, but now was not the time for that kind of thinking.

Since any help from her team was pointless at this point, she decided to focu on just one of her opponents. They were all capable agents that she would have trouble dealing with.

There was still something she could do.

She turned around and made a mad dash away from them.

The area they were fighting in had little people but still had enough for her to worry about them. There should be no chance for anyone to get involved, which was why she decided to run away.

She could hear the fast moving footsteps of Katori Squad and got ready for any attack they would launch.

She took a quick turn through an alleyway and used her speed to jump up. The force of her jump pushed her far enough into the air to let her use the wall. She jumped from one wall to another until she was above the roofs.

She started running on the roofs while the other three followed along on the ground.

Wakamura and Katori continued to fire at her, so she moved to the right so the roof would block her from their view.

As she ran she thought about what her teammates would do in this current situation.

She thought about what Takeshi would do.

 _If they push me back, I should push them back harder._

She thought about what Suzume would do.

 _If they start yelling at me for what I am doing, I should yell at them louder._

She thought about what Toby would do.

 _I should show them how dangerous I can be._

She thought about what Mei would do.

 _I should... Ah. That's what I should do._

.

Katori was getting irritated by this chase and her teammate could see that clear as day.

Neither one of them wanted to really fight Hoshi, but they also didn't want to get their captain more annoyed than she already was. There was no way of getting out of this situation.

Wakamura was more worried about how his relationship would last once this was all done.

 _I'm sure she will still like me afterward, but... I'm not too sure I can face her after going against her when it comes to such an important thing. The there is the issue of her siblings. They may want my head after this. Hell, I'm sure that Kotowari Squad might skin me after this._

The thought of having such crazy people after him was a scary thought, so he figured he would go a bit easy here to ease his own future issues.

That was why he was glad that she got out of range from their attacks.

He knew they would have to chase after her, but he could try and hold Katori back a bit.

That was until...

"If you push me back, I'll have to push you back harder!"

She had sprung out from the unseen part of the roof, blade ready to attack them.

He couldn't help but give a mental whine at this.

 _Why did she have to come out!? Why couldn't she just stay hiding! It's harder to help when she just jumps out like that!_

She pressed down on them while blocking their shots.

Her target was Katori, so his captain got out a blade of her own to block.

The two of them pushed each other with all their might. It was obvious that they wanted to overpower each other.

Both Wakamura and Miura got ready to attack while Katori brought up her gun.

"Just stay down, you damn little girl!"

"If you yell at me, I will yell back louder! Please, stop calling me that!"

Hoshi used her elbow to push away Katori's hand that held the gun. She used the same arm to hit Katori's chin, forcing her to look up.

Wakamura was a bit amazed by this.

But...

 _Was that really what she wanted to yell out right now! That seems like something she should say after we are done here!_

As soon as he started firing at her, she was gone.

She reappeared behind Katori and delivered a kick to sent the older girl into the line of fire.

There was no time to stip his attack so Miura brought up a shield to defend their captain.

Hoshi ran forward, passed Wakamura and towards Miura.

"I have to show than even I can be dangerous!"

She clashed blades with him for a moment before pulling back and holding her blade out.

Ribbons of Trion started to unfold from the blade to create a rather beautiful sight.

Miura was quick to retreat from his spot.

The other two were as well.

 _Damn!_

Hoshi stood her ground while looming at the three of them.

Her expression was not her usual calm and collected one. The look she was giving was that of someone who was done with all the crap that was being forced upon them from other people.

It was a look of complete conviction.

"Alright! Please! We want Katori Squad's help in figuring out what is going on! I refuse to take 'no' for an answer! If you do not cooperate then I shall take you all out!"

Hearing this, Wakamura felt a bit of pride. His girlfriend seemed to really grow up in a short amount of time.

"That is what Mei-nee would say and do, right!"

He still felt proud. Just a little less.

Knowing how this situation might turn out, Wakamura was reluctant to look at his captain. When he did he was not shocked to see her getting more mad with each passing second.

 _How am I suppose to feel when my captain hates my girlfriend!? Which side do I take!?_

Katori started walking forward with a dangerous expression on her face. There was a smile, but it was one that looked like something people would see on a horror movie villain.

He was going to see if he could end this quickly. A few shots would have done that with the help of Miura.

There was just one problem.

Hoshi jumped back into the alleyway behind her.

Katori rushed forward with the intent of completely destroying her.

Wakamura and Miura ran forward assist their captain.

When they got into the alleyway, Wakamura noticed something odd with the walls.

 _What is this...? It looks like the real Fujin, but..._

When he saw the lines around the alleyway converge towards Katori he ran faster with Miura doing the same.

They both managed to push Katori forward as two walls came out of the wall, trapping them both. They could see Katori on the ground as someone came down from the top of the building.

She rolled along the ground to dodge as the person tried to stab her.

Hoshi walked forward to the fallen Katori.

The captain of Katori Squad pulled up her gun. It was kicked away by the target.

"Ah! Thank you very much, Hyuse-san! That was very helpful! Ah! But I'm sorry, Waka-kun. Miura-senpai."

Wakamura could only sigh.

Miura gave a sad smile.

"It's fine."

.

Hoshi was glad to see Hyuse standing there. She didn't like to see him point his blade towards the two boys trapped, but she knew it was necessary.

She lowered herself so that she was eye-to-eye with Katori.

"Katori-san, I will ask again. Not just because we need help. I am asking you because I won't want to be your enemy any more. I want us to at least get along. So... Will Katori Squad help us out?"

"We should just cut them down."

Hoshi gave a look that seemed to keep Hyuse quiet.

She turned back to Katori with a smile.

"Tch. I feel like that's more of a threat. If we don't help you, your crazy Operator will probably beat the crap out of us while that damn Sniper you have makes a demented doujinshi out of us."

She didn't stop as she stood up.

"Then there's that idiot mutt who won't stop bugging us for fights after we are in the hospital. Your captain and you are the only ones who aren't really much to me."

She held out her hand while looking away.

"So, fine. Katori Squad will help you guys. Out of self-preservation."

Hoshi gave a shining smile as she happily grabbed the hand and shook it.

Off to the side, Wakamura was giving Hyuse a wary look while Miura tried talking to him.

Hoshi felt as if she had just gained something new from this terrible situation.

 _Yay! So does this mean Katori-san at least tolerates me!?_

* * *

Yuki was tired as he moved forward in his real body.

His ribs still ached from getting hit easier in the day and he felt tired. He had been in a Trion body for the most part but that had no effect on his mind. The day had been mentally taxing on him to the point of making him ready to fall.

"One...two... Three houses left. I just need to reach that one house... I'm sure those two will be there... I'm fine if it's just them. I can at least get a moment's rest..."

He forced his body to move forward. The third house away from him wasn't too far. If he could make it, he would have won this round by escaping and hiding.

He held his breath as he moved forward.

He focused on each step he made and not on the pain from his ribs.

 _Two houses left._

Each step felt heavy and his whole body cried out for some help.

He could feel the coughs coming up. They were forced back.

 _One more house..._

He could see the entrance. He could see the person there. He could see his win.

That made things easier on him.

He released his breath, moved forward, and felt all the pain from the day.

" I made it..."

* * *

Ouji frowned as he ran through the rows of houses, looking for one specific one.

He had gotten the address to Kotowari Squad's Sniper's house from Ninomiya Squad's Operator. That was where he would look first.

If his target was anywhere in the area, he was there.

 _I might need to end up using some force to get proper answers._

He had tried to court Suzume a few times before, but never succeeded. Before it had been due to her just brushing him aside. After a while it had been due to her team protecting her from him. Lately it had been because the Snipers in Border's #5 and #7 squads.

He had then moved on to Hoshi. That ended as well as one would expect when it came to the princess who was guarded by a beast, a Valkyrie, a lazy genius, three crazy people, and an overpowered Operator.

Now it was yet another issue with that team.

 _I can never just have my way when it comes to them. I can't have a queen and I can't have a princess. They are just terrible people._

He let out a sigh as he stopped in front of the house he had been looking for.

From his spot he could see a woman with a hat on tending to her garden.

He walked forward with a dazzling smile.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Sorry to bother you, but I have a question."

The woman looked up before giving her own smile.

She stood up and walked towards him while taking off her gloves.

"Hello. I am Misaki Seihana, Border Agent-kun. What did you want to ask me?"

"Oh. Where are my manners? I am Ouji Kazuaki. I am captain of Border's Ouji Squad. It is nice to meet you."

"What a nice and handsome man you are. It is hard to find such fine young men these days. Perhaps my daughter should... Ah. But she has such fine men like Satori-kun and Narasaka-kun at the ready. I am sorry. I am rambling now."

Ouji could feel his smile start to falter and the accidental punch she let out with her words.

Trying his best to keep his attitude up, he continued on.

"Yes, well... I have been informed that a wanted Border agent may have come to your house to seek refuge here. Would you happen to have seen this agent? I believe he is your daughter's former team captain."

The woman tilted her head a bit while he held up a picture of Yuki.

"Really? Hm. I do remember seeing this young man's face, but only on television. For that new branch Border has. As for my daughter... I have only met her underclassman. She has not introduced me to such a man."

Ouji tried to find any sign that the woman was lying but found none.

He mentally sighed.

"Alright. Thank you for your help. If you happen to see him, please inform Border."

"But of course. If he is a troublesome person, I do not want him just roaming around. I hope you find him. Good luck."

Ouji nodded before turning around.

He started walking away from the house with a frown.

There was absolutely nothing that showed that she was lying, so he had no reason to doubt her.

 _What now...?_

* * *

Misaki Seihana continued to smile as she watched Ouji leave.

Once she was sure he was completely gone, she turned towards her house.

She held her hands to her mouth.

"Kiyoshi-kun, Mitsu-chan, Michelle-chan, you can come out now! He left!"

Yuki opened the door and made his way to the bottom of the three stairs to sit down on the last one. Two small girls followed behind him and wrapped their arms around his neck.

He allowed them to do that while giving a smile.

He turned his head to Seihana and bowed his head.

"Thank you very much, Misaki-san. I'm sorry for asking this of you. I know it must be hard to-"

"Please stop, Kiyoshi-kun. There is no need to explain anything to me. I am just a mother who is spending the day with her daughter and her friend. That is all. I have no reason to know anything particular about Border."

Yuki smiled at hearing this.

He was glad that he knew someone like her. Someone so normal that it made everyone else he knew even more crazy.

His smile turned a bit sheepish.

"Um... Misaki-san, I go by 'Tsukiko Yuki' now. I gave up the name 'Taiyōko Kiyoshi' awhile ago."

"Don't be ridiculous. You are still 'Kiyoshi' to me. My apologizes if that displeases you, but in know you as something 'pure' instead of the hiding 'snow' you claim to be."

Yuki said nothing else. He could not find it in him to argue with this kind woman.

He heard a whine next to his ear and turned his head to look at Michelle, who was looking at him with worry.

"(Yuki, why are you hiding? Are Mino and Masa helping you!?)"

Yuki knew that Mitsubachi and Seihana could not understand the fluent German the girl was speaking, but he knew enough to understand and give a bit of a broken answer.

"(I am hiding...because people are...chasing me. That air-... _Ninomiya_ doesn't like me too much...so he won't help me. As for Minoru...)"

Yuki let out a small sigh.

He could guess why Minoru was going against him, but he still didn't want to say it.

 _The directors have to have some kind of 'proof' that I did something bad. But what could it be? I'm stuck at the branch office or in my bed most days, so it would be hard to get anything on me. What's more... That 'proof' would have to be validated by a good amount of people before they give any orders._

That was the reason for him being chased by agents he knew so well.

The ones he knew personally would refuse to go after him unless the evidence against him was too accurate to be false.

"Yuki-san?"

He turned his head again. This time to look at Mitsubachi.

"Is my sister helping you? Are you all alone?"

He smiled again to assure the two girls. Maybe even to reassure himself.

"It's fine, Mitsu. Suzu is probably trying to find me with the other three. I know that I can always trust those guys to help me out whenever I need it. You really do have a great older sister. And don't worry, Michelle. Minoru, and even that airhead... I'm sure they don't mean any real harm in what they are doing."

He gave a nod to himself. To remind himself that this was the truth. Not the truth he wanted but the real truth.

He started to get up and felt the two pairs of arms unwrap around his neck.

He gave a bow to Seihana and gently patted the girls' heads.

"I think I should go now. Thanks to you girls I feel more motivated to finish this."

Seihana continued to smile.

"Alright then. Is there anything you need? Some snacks or bandages?"

"Something to cover my fave would be nice."

"But you have such a handsome face. Oh well. You will probably need more than that if you wish to hide some more. You are rather slender, I'm sure that one of my dresses may fit. A hat may works wonders."

Yuki gave a sheepish laugh.

His pride was wounded a bit, but he knew that she meant no harm when she spoke.

The two girls looked up at him while speaking at the same time. They both excitedly said that they could go with him so that they could protect him.

He bent down to their level and gave their heads another pat

"Thanks, but I'll be fine. Besides, Suzu may put me in even more doujinshi while Mino and that airhead will probably try to kill me."

Seihana gave a laugh as she walked towards the door.

"Alright. Let's go see what you can wear."

Yuki followed her into the house, ready to get through the rest of the day.

* * *

Kitora started thinking.

 _If we are going to be helping Kotowari Squad, we should hurry up and group up. Being separated like this is bad. If two or more high ranking squads show up then we will have to make a break for it._

She turned her attention to Toby, who was busy facing forward with his face towards the sky.

She couldn't help but see him as a dog sniffing the air for something. It was rude to compare him like that, she knew that, but she also knew that it was true.

She let outa small sigh as she bumped into him.

"Why are you stopping? We need to-"

She stopped when she saw the serious expression on his face.

It was far different from the expression he had on before, and much more intimidating.

She was going to ask him what was wrong until he grabbed both her shoulders.

"Ai, do me a favor?"

"...What?"

"Fly. I need you to fly high into the air."

"What? What kind of stupid request is that?"

"C'mon, Ai. I really need you in the air. We dint have time for an argument, so please just hurry up and go up there."

"Even if I did agree, there is no way to get into the sky like this."

Toby grinned as he lowered his hands so that he was now holding hers.

The grin was dangerous enough, add in the fact that he was a wild person and you had an idea of what would happen.

 _Don't tell me..._

He lifted her hands while he started spinning.

She was pulled along and started spinning around him, her feet never touching the ground. After a few good spins, he let go of her.

The air rushed by as Kitora was thrown into the air.

The glare she was giving to the brunet was something to be feared.

"I'll smack you for this!"

The words stopped after that once she noticed certain things from her height. In the distance she could see others running on roofs while some others were running in their direction.

That was why he had tossed her up there.

 _So I can see what's going on._

.

Toby continued to grin as he bent his body forward.

Without even thinking, he moved his body to the right before jumping down from the roof. He saw nothing out if the ordinary, but his body reacted anyways. He moved back while jumping from right to left as something he couldn't see tried to attack.

As he moved back once more, his body moved on its own by tossing his leg into the air.

He felt something brush passed his leg.

Once his foot neared the ground, he stomped hard to push himself forward.

His upper-body was close to the ground. He used that to his advantage. He placed one hand on the ground while his lower-body went into the air.

Staring with his butt his lower-body swung around. His feet connected with something.

That something was pushed back.

"Mino! I know that's you! The way my body was moving... My body knew that it was fighting you!"

No one appeared.

Toby frowned a bit at this.

He clicked his tongue while slowly backing up.

 _Alright then... I guess Minoru is against us. Damn. I really hope I'm wrong and that was Shiro or someone._

His thoughts were cut short when his body started moving on their own once more. This time he twisted to the left while pushing his head back.

Something sped by him.

It was surprising when that something finally showed itself with a blade in hand, ready to cut his head.

His body was no fast enough to dodge the blade and so Toby forced his body to continue twisting so that his right arm moved around.

He brought out a blade to block the one heading for his neck.

 _Damn. I was right..._

There, standing before him, was Hatohara Minoru. A deep frown was on his face and he didn't seem too focused on what was going on.

 _Crap!_

Toby was quick to jump back when he saw the expression on the older one's face.

 _Crap! Crap! Crap! I never like that expression on his face! It's always something bad! I'm not so good at helping others like this! Crap! I'm in full on Fight Mode, so I don't really think I can help! Crap! Crap! Crap!_

Toby was worried about what was going on in Minoru's mind right now, but he knew that he was a terrible choice when it came to helping others in ways Minoru needed. He could easily change the mood around him when needed, but he was not good with delicate matters.

It didn't hero that Kitora was starting to descend near them as well. That might fuel the fire.

He wanted to contact Suzume to see how far she was from them. She would be a better choice right now, but that was if they could reach her.

His body reacted.

He was too in thought to pay much attention to the things around him, so he didn't notice Minoru rushing towards him.

He was about to jump back when...

.

"-!"

Both Minoru and Toby jumped back as something came flying at them with incredible speed.

When they looked to see what it was, they were shocked to find out that it was a light pole. Now that dame light pole was imbedded into the ground with only half of it above ground.

The two of them thought the same thing simultaneously.

 _The only one I can think of who would throw that... Oh no..._

Apparently the light pole was not the only thing that was rushing towards them.

A blur came crashing into the ground between them.

The two looked on at the cracked ground as someone stood there, unfazed by what they had just done.

"Alright, you two, it's time we break this up. Kitora, could you please take Toby away? I need the two of you to do me a favor by taking on Motojime Squad. They have been chasing me for a while now, so it would be appreciated. I have already taken out their Sniper."

Toby and Kitora looked around as three girls ran up to them from behind. They turned back to Mei, who was directly facing Minoru.

Kitora was about to speak up when Toby grabbed her shoulder.

He shook his head and gestured towards the three girls behind them.

"Let's just leave this to Mei. We need to do as she asks and take out Motojime Squad. It won't be too fun, but we have to do this."

He turned to the three girls and saw Gensō and Getsumei ready for the fight.

"Alright! C'mon, girls! We'll be your opponents now!"

"Watch what you say!"

Toby grinned before using Teleport to get passed them.

Kitora was right behind him.

The three girls quickly turned around to follow the two.

.

"Now then."

Mei faced Minoru with her hands at her side.

"I finally found you. Minoru."

"Meimei..."

"You are the best person I could ask right now. I had seen Kako before, but had no time to talk to her. When I found out that you and Toby were in the same area, I knew that I could get to you and leave those three with Toby and whoever he was with."

Minoru said nothing. That may have even been calculated by her.

Mei gave a wordless nod.

"Right. Before anything else, I want to ask you something."

"..."

"What did they show you? What proof did they show you to make it so that even you would go after Yuki? I have a few ideas, but in don't know everything. What is he even being framed for? If you tell me, we can settle this much faster."

"I'm still... I'm not sure if it's real. I don't want to think that it's true, but there is too much against Loki. Pictures, video, eye witnesses. I really don't believe he would do that...since he knows... But I have to side with Border for now."

His expression became more firm and his stance was a battle ready one.

"Until I can find more in Loki's defense, I am inclined to fight against the people on his side. Even if it's you and Fuzzy head."

Mei shook her head. She tightened her fist, raised her arms, lowered her body, spread her legs, and changed her expression.

She knew that talking now would be pointless. She had calculated it.

All that was left was for them to fight it out.

Whoever won would be in the right. They would, go on to help their respective side.

So...

"Shall we?"


	7. Leo

**Chapter 7:** Leo

* * *

Let out a noble roar!

* * *

Yuki was cautious as he walked around. He was in his real body while wearing a yellow dress and a large hat. His under-built body gave him a figure that resembled a female, so it was difficult to tell if he really was a boy or a girl.

There was a sad atmosphere around him as he thought about how much muscle he didn't have.

 _I suppose it works for times like these. I can hide better than someone like Tetsu, or even Jin._

He shook his head.

 _Even so... This does wound my pride a bit._

Something he noticed as he was thinking about how uncanny he was was the fact that there were people keeling an eye out for him. There were some who were doing a good job at keeping it discreet while others were being obvious about it.

It was a bit sad to see the ones who were more obvious than others.

 _How easy do they think it will be to find me? Even if they aren't looking for me, it's painfully obvious that they're looming for someone who is helping me._

He lowered the front of the large hat on his head while moving a bit closer to the stores on his right. Keeping to the shadows and escape routes were what he focused on at the moment.

Even if they were being painfully obvious about it, the ones who constantly turned their heads could still have a chance at finding something.

"..."

When he thought about it more, he hated his current situation. Being chased around while dragging others into this mess.

He tried to never ask anyone for help if he himself could help it. Even the most important people to him were kept in the dark about certain things he did at times.

 _I think this whole thing has just been a bit of a wake-up call for me. I really can't hide things from Mei and Kou. I'm pretty sure they both have some sort of radar to let them know when something stupid is going on that involves me._

It was amusing to think of, but it was most likely the truth.

 _After all-_

Yuki froze in place.

There was a feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was a familiar feeling that he had gotten a good amount of times.

He looked around the area while moving even further towards the stores.

To the right were the stores and to the left were the people looking for him. Behind him were the things he passed by and in front of him were the things that he would pass by. One of those things in front of him was his worst enemy.

There was Ninomiya, walking around with a sharp eye. No running, no fast pace. Just walking.

It was odd given the current situation.

That wasn't what Yuki was focused on at the moment.

 _Crap! I need to get by him without being suspicious or actually passing by him!_

Yuki knew that if he was getting that bad feeling than Ninomiya would also be feeling it.

The two of them had figured out a long time ago that they always got the same terrible feeling when they were near each other. It was hard for them to explain but they would always say, "Whenever he is nearby, I feel like destroying something. Although I keep from doing that."

It was stupid, and Suzume had made many doujinshis about it, but they both knew that they were near each other when they got that feeling.

So since Yuki was feeling it, there was no chance that Ninomiya wasn't feeling it as well.

He slowly moved towards the nearest alleyway as Ninomiya got closer.

When he was about to side into the space between the buildings...

"!?"

Someone grabbed his arm and pulled him into the alleyway.

He was about to fight against whoever it was when his arms were pinned to the wall behind him.

"Let him pass by first. Then you can try and attack me."

He heard a sigh as the person covered him with their larger frame.

From the corner of his eye he could see Ninomiya pass by.

The feeling grew stronger as the Shooter went by and slowly fell after a minute or so.

When he felt himself freed from the wall he looked forward to see Hikigane Sekai standing there. He was rubbing his head while letting out a sigh.

Yuki had to hold back his own sigh.

Sekai looked up at him with a bored expression.

"I've done my part in helping you out there. By the way..." He looked Yuki up and down. "I didn't know you were into crossdressing. I figured that would be something your irritating older sister would do."

"Don't be stupid. You know I have to wear this as a disguise. Anyways. Thanks for helping me out there. Can I take this as a sign that Hikigane Squad is helping me out?"

"No. I told the others to do what they wanted, so I have no control over their actions. I did this to help out Akasora-san. Not you. Don't go thinking I'm going to be fighting for you."

Yuki nodded his head.

He figured as much.

"Do you know how things are going with other squads? Can I at least know what's going on?"

Sekai let out a sigh.

Yuki held back his own sigh.

"Your former squad was supposedly going at it with other teams. The brag told us that he and Shor helped Kotowari beat Azuma Squad's Attackers. They moved over and saw Misaki performing a 'concert' while holding off Arashiyama Squad and Miwa Squad."

Yuki couldn't help the smile as he thought about Suzume's "concert." Even he had trouble interrupting her "concerts."

"I don't know about Awdry or your younger sister, though."

"Alright. Thanks for the information." He looked up at Sekai with a small smile. "Sorry to do this, but can I ask for one more thing?"

Another sigh.

Another held in sigh.

"Sure."

"Thanks. Anyways. Can you contact Girikage and tell him to let everyone else know that I plan on meeting up with Kou and Mei at the mall nearby?"

Sekai nodded his head.

Yuki gave his thanks one more time before turning around.

Everything was starting to set into place.

Their forces were evening out at last.

So all that was left was to figure out what was going on.

 _That's exactly what I'll do! If I'm causing this much trouble, I'll deal with this now!_

 _ **LINE BREAK**_

Takeshi could feel himself getting a bit excited.

It was a terrible feeling that he wanted to get rid of. At the same time, he wanted more of the feeling.

 _Girikage-senpai said that they will be meeting at the mall. That is where I need to go. Even if I'm in plain sight, I plan on getting there and meeting up with everyone._

He had been with a large group of people consisting of B-Ranks and A-Ranks, but was now alone. The reason for that was because Noah and Daigo said that they would be going to find their squads so that they can help out around. Suzume said that she had to finish her concert while Miwa Squad simply left without a word. Arashiyama had told everyone that they would find Toby and Kitora.

That left Takeshi to run by himself.

 _Is that the reason foe my excitement? Because I can do this by myself?_

He violently shook his head.

 _No. Don't assume you can do this. By yourself. You needed help to beat Okudera-senpai and Koarai-senpai. Just think of it like...they all have more important things than to babysit me._

He violently nodded his head.

There was a good amount of distance from where he was to the mall, so he had to keep his mind focused on the task at hand.

He was the captain of Kotowari Squad, replacing their former captain. That meant he was suppose to be the last one to lose among his team. The place he was suppose to be was on the battlefield, making sure his teammates survived.

If his mind was anywhere other than the battlefields he would be at he would be the first one taken out. The teammates he cared for would still be in, but he would be out.

That would never do.

There was only one fight that he could remember when their former captain had been taken out before them.

 _The second invasion. We got there when he was ready to Bail Out. He helped him out, but once he was gone, we weren't too sure on what to do without a captain. We all still need someone to help us out._

That was fine with them.

They were a team.

 _We will help each other out. If one of us goes down, that's one less person we can rely on. So that's why we need to all stay in the battle._

That was what he decided.

Fight, run away, go to someone else, take the long way to the destination, anything. Any of those things would be fine so long as he made it to the next battle.

"So that means..."

He took a large leap to cross even more ground than before.

As he passed by the ground, multiple things struck the ground.

"I need to deal with these three."

Someone came by from his right and someone came by from his left. One of them had two swords and one of the, had a large scythe.

Takeshi saw the both of them. He saw the shots coming from the sky as well.

Then he saw the sky itself.

He was in the air instantly. From there he could see the two girls with blades on the ground.

The two of them were shocked when they saw that what they had stabbed was his scarf and not his body.

Two Trion Orbs appeared next to him before firing one laser-like beam at the two on the ground.

 _I'm using my scarf for Zanzō now... Does that mean I have grown up a bit?_

He saw the two girls on the ground move back.

 _Now is my chance. I don't need to fight. I need to run. I need to make it to the next fight._

He created a shield under his feet and landed on it. He took a step off it while creating another one. The steps became more fast paced while he ran in the barriers that he continually created.

From this height he could not be touched by the two girls on the ground.

That did not mean he was untouchable.

Another volley of shots came at him.

 _Asano-san sure is persistent._

He fired his only volley of shots.

* * *

It was an amazing sight.

Punch for punch. Kick for kick.

Two Border agents used their own bodies as weapons against each other. Arms, legs, head, elbow, knee. Every part of their bodies were their weapons. Each attack held large amounts of power with each thrust or swing.

The lioness continued on with punches and kicks that forced the air to move.

The deer continued on with punches and kicks that shifted the air around them.

The two moved with calculated power strikes that forced an shifted the air around, creating an unnatural breeze around them.

The ground shook each time their feet touches the ground until it started to crack and break apart.

The two animals fighting showed no particular expression as they continued to try and gain the upper hand in the fight.

 _This isn't a fight between one side and another. This is just a fight between two people who want to fight. That's how I should be looking at this. If I think about it more than that then I may end up going somewhere that puts me at a disadvantage._

Mei thought of these things while simultaneously thinking of different attack patterns and defensive patterns.

 _But I'm not the only one trying to dodge a certain fact. He's also keeping this fight at a base level of thought so we can actually have this fight. Neither of us should read too much into it or we will start pulling our punches._

She lifted her arm to block the next punch while also moving in for another attack.

He moved back as she attacked.

He could feel the breeze created by the powerful punch.

There were only a handful people in Border who could manage a hand-to-hand fight with no problems. These two were the most proficient in it, and they were currently attacking each other with the intent to win.

They may fall, but it would not be by each others' hands. They would try and continue on, to move forward to the next battlefield.

They both jumped back.

The same thought ran through their minds.

 _Let's continue._

Both had speed and power on their side, so they used that.

They met halfway and began their next volley of punches. Each one getting blocked or dodged.

While the deer would move to dodge the hits, the lioness would face it head on and block.

Minoru took a step back before jumping into the air.

He pushed his feet forward, towards Mei.

She gladly accepted the attack by bracing herself and blocking two both her arms. She was pushed back while Minoru flipped in mid-air to move even further back.

He ran forward once more.

The two fell to the ground and started rolling a few feet.

Mei managed to squeeze one of her legs between them to kick Minoru away.

She didn't let up and ran forward, punches flying again.

Minoru moved back to dodge.

He circled around her while lifting his leg into the air. The kick was block, so he used the same movement to toss his other leg into the air. This one was a hit that managed to kick her head.

While in the air he felt his ankle get grabbed before being thrown aside like a rag doll.

"This is...fun. I don't usually get to fight hand-to-hand combatants like this. Thank you."

"This shouldn't be fun... But it actually is. We haven't actually fought, have we?"

"I'm just a simple Operator. There was no reason for me to go around asking for fights."

"Right. It kind of makes me wonder how Loki has survived for this long. No offense, of course."

"None taken. And he's survived because he has good instincs. That's why he is running now."

The two were silent for a few seconds.

The reason they were fighting was brought up.

That meant there was only one thing to do.

They both said it out loud for each other to hear.

"Forget about it and fight!"

Minoru ran forward, fist pulled back.

The two traded blows once more.

This time he for her chest with his knee.

The momentum he had been using for the attack was turned against him when she chose to block his hit with her hand. She had grabbed his knee and tossed him to the side, sending him into a spin before hitting the ground hard.

She brought down her fist, making him roll away.

He jumped to his feet and saw the cracks kn the ground from the hit.

She was the one to advance this time.

He was ready. He lowered his body a bit before managing to punch her in the face.

As a return shot she hit his chest.

Minoru was sent into the air, just above her.

She grabbed his leg once more and spun two times before throwing him away. She could see him getting up again.

Neither of them felt the pain from getting thrown across the street or even from hitting each other. Their bodies were made up entirely of Trion, so any pain they would received was lowered to a much more tolerable level.

Even so...

 _Thanks to Hime, by Trion body is more sturdy than before. I'm glad she was able to do that with the engineers. That's being said..._

Minoru looked forward to see Mei standing there as if nothing happened.

 _They were using Meimei's Trion Body as a reference for my own. We can both go without using any actual Triggers, so they can find ways to reinforce our bodies with Trion. But she... Meimei really only relies on her fists and legs. I do use Triggers like Scorpion and Chameleon, so I have to be more careful._

The difference in fighting styles and power could be seen as they clashed. They were both enjoying the hand-to-hand fight, so he had not used his other Triggers.

Now was when he was noticing the issue with that.

Her body was much sturdier than his own, and had more power to her hits than his.

If he continued to fight with only his fists and legs then he would surely lose.

That simply meant he needed to stop using only his body to fight.

 _Now we need to move in to the next stage of this fight._

As he was going to use another Trigger, something ran by him.

It was not as fast as either of them, but it still had speed to it.

 _Wait, that's-!_

.

Mei braced herself by bringing her arms up.

She had not expected Kizaki Reiji to come running at her with his fist reeled back.

He was another person who could fight with his fists by using Raygust and Thruster to land powerful blows.

 _If I dodge this attack, I'll be safe. But I'll also be a bit irritated since I have never backed down from a challenge of power when it comes to him._

She was enjoying her one-on-one fight with Minoru, but knew that this was more how their current battles should be. Ganging up on an opponent was just another way of fighting. No one would object to it.

She certainly wouldn't.

When he was finally withing striking range, he moved his fist forward.

"!?"

Mei was a bit surprised when she saw the attack never connect with her.

Instead of crashing into her, Kizaki was thrown over her and towards the ground.

"...Sorry. ...But you were interrupted...right? ...Let me deal with him."

The reason for Kizaki being sent into the air was because of this man.

 _No. He's not just a man._

Pyrínas was an Automatous Trion Soldier with his own abnormal strength.

He had grabbed Kizaki by the arm and tossed him into the air so that Mei did not have to take the attack. Now he was saying that he would be the one to take the muscle man on in a fight while she continued fighting Minoru.

"Alright. Thank you for that."

She got no answer.

 _Now things are changing. This really is an enjoyable fight._

She stopped for a moment before clicking her tongue.

"I'm starting to sound like that damn woman."

That was never a good thing.

* * *

It was hard to see where the opponents were and where the allies were when everyone moved around from one place to another before they could come up with any strategies.

Toby and Kitora moved through the wires that were set up around the area while their opponents tried to cut down or shoot down those same wires.

They knew the wires would not last as kong as they wanted, so they moved around while attacking with their blades, and gun in Kitora's case.

 _"Ai, watch out for Kashi's shots. Her accuracy is better than you would think."_

 _"I know that. Are you forgetting that Motojime Squad has a bit of a rivalry with Arashiyama Squad?"_

 _"You don't have to be so mean... Anyways! I'll take on Maihime and Kashu while you go after Kashi. Sound good?"_

 _"No! We should stay together in case they have a plan!"_

Toby let out a sigh as he passed by with his blade.

All of the girls were as skillful as they were beautiful. They all wore the same dark gray clothing with the only differences being Getsumei who wore pants instead of a skirt.

Each one of the girls had their own styles with Kōchō's hair being violet, Getsumei's being a nice black, and Gensō's dyed pink. Their fourth Combatant had blond hair while their Captain-Operator had gray hair.

They were an interesting team that Toby had to admit were fun to fight against.

Even so...

 _We need to make this fight quick. If Ai wants us to stay together, we'll have to go after Kashi together. She is the team's best agent, behind Maihime. Since the two of us aren't too good against distance opponents, she needs to be taken out first._

He relayed everything to Kitora as he moved around the wires.

They both moved higher into the air using the wires while their two opponents with blades followed behind, using the same path they had used.

Once they were in the air they could see the barrage of shots heading for them.

Toby was quick to put up a defense.

 _Starlight!_

The moment the shots collided with the shield, it started to sparkle like stars shining in the sky before sending those same shots back to where they had come from.

The return shots were shot down by the new barrage.

Toby used this as his chance by sending Kitora to the right while he teleported to the left.

"No!"

The moment he reappeared, Getsumei was in front of him.

She used Kōgetsu to attack, forcing Toby to bring up his own weaker Scorpion blades to block.

Before the attack could connect, the arms holding Kōgetsu started to fall to the ground.

They two were wide-eyed as a small, white-haired boy passed by them.

Toby quickly used the same boy as a step to move forward and cut off Getsumei's head.

"Damn it," her severed head said. "No hard feelings, but this sucked. A waste of time."

 **Bail Out.**

The two boys wasted no time in turning to Kitora to see her fighting with Gensō while Kōchō got ready to attack once more.

Toby turned to Kuga before grabbing his arms.

He threw Kuga over to Kitora while using his spin to jump off the roof and move towards Kōchō.

He saw the shots she was firing at him before looming just passed her.

 _Sorry, Kashi._

He teleported behind her and brought out two Scorpion blades.

She started to turn around, which was the same time he stabbed her through the head and where her heart would be. Both important parts to a Trion Body were stabbed.

"-"

 **Bail Out.**

"Man... I hope she want be mad at me. I was going to ask her if she wanted to go to that café today for some of their chocolate cake."

Toby turned to Kitora and Kuga while speaking to himself.

He saw the final member of Motojime Squad Bail Out while Kitora gave a small glare towards Kuga, who was just waving at him.

The two of them moved towards him and landed in front of him.

"I know they're strong, but why was Takaoto-san having trouble beating them?"

"Hm? Who said she was having trouble beating them?"

"Isn't that why she asked us to fight them?"

"Ha! No. She just wanted to fight Minoru. If she wanted to, she could have taken them all out. She was just preoccupied with finding him than fighting them."

Kuga nodded his head with a duck face.

"Humu humu. So Mei-san really is crazy strong."

"Of course. We haven't really seen her fight in her Trion Body, but in her real body, she is one of the toughest people around. She's like a damn lion. You really don't want to mess with her."

"I see."

Kitora let out a sigh as she walked towards the edge of the building.

"Alright, you two. It's about time we get going."

"Right! Oh! By the way, Yuma. Does this mean Tamakoma is helping us? You kind of sprang up from nowhere."

"Well, Yuki-senpai had asked us if we could watch out for you guys. He said that we don't have to help him, just make sure you all were fine."

Kuga and Kitora could see Toby looking away and assumed that he was thinking about the disbandment again.

Kitora lifted her hand to snap him out of it, but ended up not having to.

"Alright! If he cares so much about us, we really can't let him down! Now I really have to protect him!"

Toby started running towards the mall with a large grin plastered on his face.

"Hey! Wait!"

The other two started following him, but were too far away from him to hear Kitora yelling.

She just shook her head in irritation.

* * *

 _Irritation._

Another feeling that he never wanted to feel.

Takeshi glanced behind to see both Maya and Shana running towards him while a rain of shots came down upon him. The former two were being held back by the laser-like beams coming from the Trion Orbs next to him.

 _This is bad. I can only manage those two and a few actual shots. The fight with Okudera-senpai and Koarai-senpai made me use up too much Trion._

Teleport did not use up too much Trion, but if he would be trying to escape then he would have to use it in rapid succession. That was when it would use up Trion.

The fact he was managing for as long as he was was a bit astonishing.

He had been in multiple joint-Shooter training sessions with Eri before so he knew that she was aware of what to do against him. What's more was that both her and Maya had faced off against him in one of the B-Rank War matches.

The temptation of just being defeated while taking at least one of them out was there. He would be taken out, but it would be a one-for-one situation at that point. He knew exactly who to target.

He took a leap into the air while turning his body around. His target was not near the two running, so he focused on that direction.

That was the plan.

"Gotcha!"

The one with the two Kōgetsu and the one with a scythe came at him with incredible speed. Grasshopper plates could be seen behind them.

There was no time to block or dodge.

He would be defeated without taking anyone out.

"Asteroid!"

Two rows of light poles were on either side of the road. Two if those poles were hit at their bases, destroying them. The poles started to fall in front of Takeshi.

The two with blades cut through the poles while another rain of shots came down.

Something rushed above Takeshi.

When he saw what it was he grabbed it with one arm and held it above his head.

A link had been established.

He used his Trion to create a solid defense with the Raygust that was now in his grasp. The shots came down upong him, yet never touched him. They were all blocked by the solid defense.

He turned back around while putting on his Bagworm.

To make sure they would hot be able to catch up with him, he used Teleport to move forward and go between two houses. He used it again to move to a different location.

.

"Thank you, Shishou."

Takeshi gave a bow as he returned Raygust back to its owner.

Mikumo waved off the thanks and looked down at Takeshi.

"Tsukiko-senpai had asked us to help you guys out. That's all. He said he would repay the favor, but it's fine. We were planning on helping out regardless."

"I see... You really are an inspiration, Shishou. Being so ready to help others like that... I wish I was like that... I only feel inclined to help the people in my contact list. You go around helping others lie, it's nothing."

"I think you're giving me too much credit here."

He looked around to make sure the girls were not around.

"Now then. What should we do here? Make our way to the mall or try and take them out?"

"Hm? How do you know where we need to go?"

"A long chain of people. Kuga was told by Awdry, who was told by Misaki-senpai, who was told by Girikage-senpai."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Like I said... A long chain of people."

Takeshi nodded while trying not to think about it too much.

"Anyways. We should take them out. I would really rather have them on our side, by they're going at us for real. There isn't much room for talking. That's fine, though, since that's how we are suppose to do things."

"You really don't sound too happy about fighting them."

"Yes, well... Lee and Maya-san are difficult opponents, if they can get close enough. Asano-san... She is the top priority right now. Long range attacks are the formers' main weakness, so we can deal with them. Having Asano-san backing them up is an issue."

Mikumo looked around while holding his hand to his ear.

"Chika, can you see us?"

 _"Yes. Misaki-senpai is also here."_

 _"We're ready to shoot someone. Just give us the signal!"_

Mikumo turned his attention back to Takeshi, who had also heard the two snipers.

"So we need to separate Asano-senpai from the other two to make sure they don't get in the way. You're the best option between the two of us. It's better if we don't think that we can wait for someone to come along and help us."

"Right. But you are wrong about something, Shishou. You are actually the better option. You have your wires, so to can trap them while I take out Asano-san. What's more, Teleport can get me closer to her in less time than you could while hiding. No offense."

"It's fine. But you're right."

The two nodded in agreement while turning away from each other.

Without another word, the two of them ran off in different directions.

* * *

Tsukiko Squad had their backs to each other.

Maya held both Kōgetsu in front of her, one for a quick defense and another for a quick attack.

Shana got ready to use her scythe for defense or offense.

Eri was surrounded by small balls of Trion.

 _"So, what's the plan? Anyone got anything?"_

 _"Switching sides? That's always a good option. At least with everything going on right now."_

 _"Wish we could. Can't. I don't really feel right fighting them like this, but we just have to suck it up."_

 _"Fine. Then, like I said, what's the plan?"_

While her teammates talked, she was thinking of the plan the American wanted so badly.

She could guess what the two boys were coming up with but couldn't be too sure about the outcome. That meant she had to take a chance.

 _"They'll probably get you two out of the way and focus on me. You two kind of suck against long-range opponents."_

 _"I'm not that bad! Shana may be terrible against them, but I'm not too bad!"_

 _"Hey!"_

Eri ignored their complaints and continued on.

 _"They'll probably separate me from you two so they can take me out first. I just don't really know who they plan on sending against me. Both of them have their own strong points."_

 _"I bet you want it to be Takeshi~"_

 _"..."_

 _"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean anything by it! Blame it on Suzu!"_

 _"So you really have been hanging out with her too much."_

Shana was about to make a retort to their Operator when they noticed someone in the distance.

It was Mikumo.

"Leave him to me!"

Maya ran forward whole her teammates moved to catch up with her.

Before they could move, Takeshi had appeared above them. He landed on the ground for a second before grabbing Eri's mid-section before teleporting away. He wasn't too far away, but that left Shana with two options.

The first was to go after her captain.

The second was to go after their Shooter.

 _"Leave him to me! Go help out Eri!"_

 _"I'm fine on my own here. Our o so lovely captain will probably need your help."_

Shana looked back-and-forth between the two directions her teammates were taken and let out a sigh.

"Kuni, what do you say?"

"Go help Maya. She is going after someone who uses Spider."

The American girl nodded her head before turning and chasing after her captain.

.

Eri did not hesitate to fire off Viper at point-blank range on Takeshi's back.

She felt herself fall.

As she had expected, he used Zanzō to teleport away after he was hit. That meant he was still close by.

"I guess I deserve that. Sorry for just taking you like that."

"Let's just make sure not to tell you-know-who and we'll be fine."

"Deal."

The last person they wanted to know about all of this was Suzume.

Then the thought occurred to Takeshi.

 _...Suzume-senpai is keeping watch in this fight... She probably saw that..._

 _"I honestly saw that! Go get her Take! I'll make you a deal! You honestly do what Toby was going to do with Kōchō and ask her out and I_ won't _make a doujinshi about it!"_

He thought about it. It was a nice deal indeed. The only issue he saw was how his current opponent would react to it. Especially since they were fighting right now.

He shook his head and pushed those thoughts out of his mind for the moment.

Focusing on this was more important.

 _I need to end this in a few hits. I can't stall out or I'll be done in. Not having too much Trion sucks._

Not wanting to keep anyone waiting, he moved forward with the clear intent of finishing this fight.

He used Teleport to appear behind her while he held a hand out.

There was no surprise when she turned around with her own shots ready.

"You already did this back when we were fighting in the B-Rank Wars. I haven't forgotten that."

"Neither have I."

The moment her shits came in contact with him, he was gone. In his place was his jacket, now littered with holes.

From those holes she could see something flying towards her.

Before she could react, those things went through the holes and hit her. Without a second of delay she was in the ground, multiple weights appearing on her body.

She heard the sound of footsteps, looked up, and saw Takeshi walking towards.

"Huh. Without that oversized jacket I can see your form better now. And without the scarf you look less bulky."

"Ah... Uh... Huh?"

Takeshi tilted his head and his hand went for his neck. He remembered what happened to his scarf while looking down. Unlike his pants and jackets, his black undershirt was a regular size.

"I really...feel kind of naked..."

 _"Hyuuuu hyuuuuuu~~ Admitting that to a girl right away! You really do read my doujinshi, don't you? Don't you!? I'm honestly happy right now, Kotowari Takeshi-chan!"_

The Shooter ignored his teammate and held up his arm. A Trion Orb appeared above him.

"I hope you girls won't be mad at me after this is over."

"We get it. So we won't be mad."

Takeshi gave a nod of gratitude before firing off a single laser-like beam at her.

 **Bail Out.**

He turned around to go catch up with Mikumo.

After that they would meet up with everyone at the mall and go over everything that was going on.

"I have to-!?"

Three shots had come down from the sky when he wasn't looking and managed to take his arm.

He covered his severed arm to keep the leaking Trion from forcing him to Bail Out.

He gave a small smile.

"She had to get one last shot in."

* * *

Mikumo could see the two girls getting a bit agitated as they continued to run into his wires.

He had been told that his current partner had taken out the opposing Shooter and that he was now heading over here to help out.

He started to make his way towards the direction Takeshi was coming from while making sure that the two girls were still ensnared in his wires.

 _Now we just need to-_

Something had happened to his wires. They were getting cut up one after the other.

The two girls who were trapped continued to move their blades around without a care in the world. Each time they cut down a wire, they seemed to gain speed and cut down three more. The numbers continued to increase until it got to the point of them simply standing there with their blades.

Mikumo was quick to run away.

"Nope!"

The two girls leaped towards him, ready to take him out.

"We need to pick up the slack now-"

 **Bail Out.**

A shot had come from a great distance and managed to shoot Shana right through the head.

That was not all there was to the attack.

Multiple black shots hit Maya, sending her slamming to the ground. Like her teammate, her body was covered in weights that prevented her from moving.

"Thanks, Chika, Misaki-senpai."

Mikumo walked forward with a cube of Trion in his hand.

Maya looked up at him with a grin.

There was no anger from losing, for any spite for helping Kotowari Squad. Just a grin.

"Lot sucks that we lost, but I guess that's fine if it means you guys have less people to deal with. Now we won't get in trouble either, _and_ we helped you guys out a bit."

Mikumo said nothing as he fired Asteroid at her.

 **Bail Out.**

* * *

Any sort of muscle man would be ashamed if they were to see what was going on. The thought that something like this would be happening would drive them mad.

After all, who would expect such a petite girl to keep up with these three men with obvious muscles as if it was nothing? Answer: no one.

Takaoto Mei continued to deliver punch after punch in an attempt to make a decisive blow on her opponent.

 _I thought I was fighting Minoru. What in the world happened?_

Somewhere along the line the battle had shifted into two different battles. On side of the street was Mei and Kizaki, having a battle of strength. On the other side of the street was Minoru and Pyrínas, having a similar battle to the one Mei and Minoru were having before being interrupted.

Each time Kizaki let loose a Thruster-punch, Mei matched it with her own. The two were around equal strength, so it was just a dead end for them if they continued like this.

Minoru was much faster than his current opponent, so he used that to his advantage. The only issue was that Pyrínas was just as sturdy, if not more so, than Mei, so the attacks did less damage than they would have for other agents.

 _I have had enough of this. I want to get back over there some can get some answers out of Minoru._

"Pyrínas."

The Autonomous Trion Soldier looked back for a second to see Mei push back Kizaki for a moment.

He took that as he chance to jump back. He turned his body when his foot touched the ground.

He pushed off the ground while using the spin to throw himself towards Kizaki once more.

Their fists clashed once more.

Mei moved swiftly towards Minoru to start their fight again.

Instead of going hand-to-hand like before, Minoru jumped back while multiple cubes of Trion appeared.

The cubes of Trion circled around Mei before flying into the air. They came down hard.

Mei pulled back her fist before pushing it forward. Her fist connected wit the Viper shots, destroying them.

Due to her body being reenforced with Trion attacks like that weren't much to her.

The same applied to Minoru, just to a lesser degree.

"Alright, Minoru, are you ready to tell me what's going on?"

"When we're done here. I'm still deciding myself on whether I want to help you guys out. Trust me. I really do want to help you, but..."

Mei shook her head.

"It's fine. Just focus more on the fight and then we can discuss everything."

"Right."

It was always amazing how the simple Operator handled everything in a calm and collected manner. Right here, right now, they were fighting on opposite sides, yet she spoke to him in an understanding tone that a mother or sister would use when speaking to a son or brother.

It was the same voice she used when speaking with her own team when it came to delicate matters.

 _To hear that voice on the battlefield..._

He could make anyone waver for a moment.

He refused to stop for even a second. This was a fight that they were enjoying.

It was the kind of joy that Toby would always start yelling about when he was fighting. The kind of joy that Suzume would squeal about when writing a new doujinshi. The kind of joy that Takeshi would smile about when he made a friend. The kind of joy that Hoshi would get dirty for when she made something new.

 _That's why she's enjoying it. It reminds her of those guys. I can't really blame her._

She was like a mother to her team. It was proved more when she showed her fangs at anyone who opposed them in a way she did not like.

He couldn't help but think about the people in his life who were similar to her in that sense.

But that was neither here nor there.

Right now he had to focus on the fight.

He had to focus on winning.

* * *

Pyrínas could feel how similar his punches felt compared to Kizaki's. They were both trying to break through the other's defense with brute strength.

It could have just been Kizaki wanting to be cautious that he didn't use any other Trigger, or just both if them being stubborn on the matter.

 _...I am male. ...But I don't have the same pride other men do._

He the seventh version of an Autonomous Trion Soldier that had lost himself some time ago. While the others who were also known as "Pyrínas" were connected by a simple link, he had gained his own ego an decided to stay on Earth.

He was given a place to stay at the Yagura Branch's office. From there he had gotten to meet people he never would have known about without gaining his own ego.

There was that B-Rank team made up of three friends, one of his creators, his teammate, their single Operator, those children he had gotten to know and now took care of at times, that relaxed boss, and those odd and powerful siblings.

One of the those siblings was currently in trouble for something only few knew about. Since Pyrínas was not directly connected to Border he had more freedom to do as he pleased with his newly gained ego.

 _...I decided on helping him._

He didn't know as many people as those from the Yagura Branch, but the ones he did know were important to him. That was why he was fighting now.

That was the reason he was having a battle of brute strength with this muscle head.

 _...I believe Kushikage called him a "beefcake." ...Odd._

He threw another punch.

 _...Even so. ...I need to take out at least one person. ...Mei should have her fight without worrying._

Her fight would have been interrupted by Kizaki if he had not shown up when he did.

Pyrínas wanted to respect her by keeping this man away.

He had no pride as a man since he was just a Trion Soldier. He had no pride as a Border agent since he had no direct connection with them. He did not have to worry about getting in trouble since he was acting as an individual instead of part of a group.

If winning meant that he needed to use his newly gained ego to make his own choices, he would make the choices that helped the people he knew.

 _...Power to 80%._

The original Trion Soldier known as Pyrínas was unique in his abilities. He had three main abilities and a few minor ones with that.

He was give an ability to store up large amounts of Trion from people who gave him any and give it to anyone he wanted, pushing that person's Trion limit beyond what it was and thereby giving them a larger amount of Trion to use for the rest of their lives. He had to willingly give the person the Trion and any person had to willingly give him their Trion.

All of the Trion could also be used by him. His strength was rivaled only be Mei, meaning that with raw strength he was able to cause a large amount of damage.

His final main ability was that each Pyrínas made was able to take in and fuse with any other Trion soldier, so long as they had no core.

Pyrínas used up Trion he had gotten from a certain heterochromatic-eyed girl to throw a more powerful punch.

Kizaki's arm flew behind him. All that was left of it was the elbow to the shoulder.

He moved back while bringing out the rapid-fire gun he had used before. It was a bit harder to use than before now that he was missing an arm, but he managed it.

He started firing at Pyrínas in an attempt to at least slow him down.

Pyrínas, upon seeing this, put his left hand forward as a shield of Trion formed.

 _...I didn't think I would use this. ...Futoyuki may have given me this defense on a whim, but I'm glad now._

It was a defense similar to Border's Shield, meaning it was keeping the bulkets from reaching him.

He continued to move forward while Kizaki moved back.

Seeing that this was getting nowhere, Pyrínas made a run for Kizaki while lowering his defense. The bullets had little effect on him individually, but when they were being fired in rapid succession they were doing some real damage to his body.

 _...Even so._

Even so...

 _...This is just one more thing I can do._

When he was close enough he reeled his fist back before moving it forward.

 _...100% power._

With only one hit his fist shattered the gun to pieces.

With a second hit his fist tore through Kizaki's torso.

With a third hit his fist forced the A-Rank muscle head to turn into light.

 **Bail Out.**

Pyrínas watched as Kizaki left.

"...He was quiet the whole time. ...A true man.m...Not that I would know."

* * *

Mei had calculated the end to this fight.

She could see it as clearly as Jin could see the future.

She had some areas on her body that had obviously taken a beating, but it was nothing when compared to her opponent.

Minoru was missing an arm in a similar way to Kizaki and one of his eyelids was closed. The rest of his body also looked like it had taken a beating with Trion leaking from small parts missing.

"Shall we continue?"

Minoru let out a sigh as he stood straight.

"No. We're fine like this. I've made up my mind on the matter."

"That's good. Now tell me, which side are you really on? You've been thinking about it the whole time, I hope. Any answer I will be fine with, so long as you are sure that's the answer you want to give."

"Heh. After all of this, I better have a good answer. Like you said, I was thinking over everything while we fought, so I have my answer."

Mei encouraged him to continue.

"This time is different. There is indisputable proof of what's going on, but I know it's different this time. I'm disappointed in myself for really doubting Loki when I know better. Well... I think I know better."

"He's a genuine idiot, it's best not to try to understand him too much. Just continue to break up his fights with Ninomiya and things will be fine. But since he is such an idiot, it's easy to tell how he is with others. Contrary to what people say, he's actually an honest person. His lies are only for other idiots who deserve them."

"Ah. I see. That's why he keeps lying to Haru-chan then."

"Exactly. Well... That may be because he's just looking out for Shiro. Anyways. I'm glad to know that you're on our side now."

"I may have said that but I don't think I can continue on. Our fight left me with only a bit of Trion left. I'm going to have to Bail Out in another minute or so."

"Oh. Well then, can you at least tell me what's going on? I can't do much without the knowledge of what's going on."

"Right. What we were given to see was-"

 **Bail Out.**

Mei quickly brought up her guard as she saw Minoru turn into light before heading towards Border.

 _A sniper._

She looked in the direction the shot had come from but saw nothing there.

The fact the sniper had not made a second attack was proof that they were meant to only keep Minoru from telling her what was going on.

With this going on it was safe to assume that Border would make sure that Minoru or anyone else could find a way to tell them what was going on.

 _Fine. If that's how things are going to be..._

She turned around to see Pyrínas walking up to her.

"Pyrínas. I'm going to the mall to meet up with everyone else. What about you?"

"...Mitsubachi, Michelle... ...Kaede, Kiseki..."

Those were the names of the children he would often see.

Mei knew what he meant by saying their names, so she nodded her head and lowered her body to the ground. He position was that of an animal's ready to run. Her hands and feet touched the ground while her face was forward.

 _100% speed._

With an incredible burst of speed, she started running in the direction of the mall.

Now was the time for everything to be talked about.

They would find the answers they wanted.

She was going to where they would all meet.


	8. Uranometria: Part 2

**Chapter 8:** Uranometria: Part 2

* * *

Where the stars gather

* * *

Yuki was a bit surprised when he walked into the mall and felt the cool air hit him.

He had really expected multiple agents to jump out and attack him. Instead, he was able to walk right in and head towards one of the nearby clothing stores.

Once he got inside the shop he started looking around while ignoring the strange looks he was getting. He found a good set of clothes and went to the counter to purchase them.

Although it hurt his pride a bit, he spoke to the cashier with the most feminine tone he could muster before grabbing the bag and walking out.

He looked around the area to make sure that no one was watching him as he made a quick dash for the nearest men's restroom. Luckily there was no one actually inside.

He got changed into what he had bought. Compared to what he had wore before, this was more relaxed with a simple tee-shirt and cargo pants with saddles on his feet. He pushed his hair back while putting on a pair of sunglasses.

 _Hm... When was the last time I had my hair like this? Maybe before I met Takeshi._

He gave a shrug as he left the restroom.

The moment he did, someone punched his arm.

He turned to see Mei standing there with an almost expressionless face. He could see the hints of irritation on her face.

"Give me that dress. I don't want to buy new clothes, and I can just give those back to Misaki-san later."

"You really do know a lot of things. But are you sure? I already wore these clothes so..."

The color red started covering her face, making him act quickly by shoving the bag in her arms.

"Here you go! I'll be waiting over there!"

The area at a small amount of people around so he decided to just stand by a pillar.

He looked outside to see that the sun was a bit low, meaning that it was definitely passed noon. His phone had been left at his house, so he couldn't check the exact time, and the mall had no clock either.

Half of the day was already gone and all he had been doing was running away. There was a valid reason to do so, although he still hated the fact he had to do it.

Trying to fight back right now would cause issue all around, so it was best to lay low and figure things out.

He let out a sigh at the fact he knew what he had to do.

"Kiyoshi, head's up."

Hearing his actual name, Yuki turned around. He wasn't prepared to have something tossed to him, yet he manged to catch it anyways. He looked down to see that it was his phone.

The one to throw it was Murakami, who was also in his real body.

"You went to my home to get this?"

"No. Shiro got it and gave it to me. So we can add Hogo Squad as another team who is helping us out."

"That's good." He looked around again. "Have you seen Kage yet? Mei is getting dressed, so that puts us at three people."

"Check out the chat. Some of them are already in a private chat for us."

"Hm? A chat?"

"Do you really want to be talking to everyone while they're surrounded by people who can contact Border?"

"Ah. I guess you're right."

As they spoke Yuki logged into the chat while Murakami told him which one it was.

When he saw the log he could only face-palm.

.

 **Honest Sister:** "So, is it honestly just me or have you all been purposely giving me some great material!?"

 **Colors:** "Senpai, can you please not bring that stuff up?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Heh heh heh. Do you honestly realize who you are talking too, Take? But don't worry, it isn't just you and Asano-chan. Our own little doggy said something interesting that he thought I missed."

 **Werewolf:** "What!? What did I say that made you think of any ideas? I'm not stupid enough to do that!"

 **Honest Sister:** "Oh, but you are. ""Man... I hope she want be mad at me. I was going to ask her if she wanted to go to that café today for some of their chocolate cake." I heard that~ Mu next one will involve a double-date for you two! Ken-kun, I'm going to honestly need your help with his one!"

 **Double-Snipe:** "Right! What do you need?"

 **Honest Sister:** "A few pictures of that café Toby was talking about, three boxes of Torii decorations, four coupons to that café, nine people, and Betty."

 **Double-Snipe:** "Got it! I'll get it right away!"

 **Talented Yoke:** "Why the hell would you need all that for one doujinshi!? Isn't that all just overkill!?"

 **Honest Sister:** "What are you talking about? It's not just for my doujinshi. I want them to have a nice date as well. Hey! Hoshi-chan, Rokkun, do you two want to join them!?"

 **Prototype Star:** "W-w-what!? It's fine! Thank you! Unless...Waka-kun wants to go..."

 **Rokkun:** "Yes! We can go!"

 **Colors:** "Hoshi, you know you don't have to have to put it like that if you are stuttering. You can just out it like a regular message."

 **True Hero:** "It's like that because she's using her voice. She's not typing on her phone."

 **Colors:** "Oh. My apologizes."

 **Prototype Star:** "It's fine, Takeshi-kun. And Suzume-senpai, I g-guess that we will b-be joining in on that date."

 **Honest Sister:** "Alright! Ken-kun, we need two more of those coupons! Yes, yes, yes! This will honestly be a special edition! A crossover between Puppy Love, Weather Painter! Love Shot, Kyun!, and Doki Doki Shitto Hoshi!"

 **Mountain #5:** "Wouldn't that hurt the canonicity of it? Puppy Love is about a werewolf and a half-nightingale, half-human falling in love, right? At the same time, WP!LSK is about a lonely weather spirit who is suppose to pain the weather so that the world can continue on, yet can't because he sees no color."

 **Orange Cat:** "That's right. And DDSH is about a girl that only appears during the Star Festival, yet makes a long lasting connection with a guy who has lost all enjoyment in that same festival since his childhood friend died on that day."

 **Kitora:** "Arashiyama-senpai, Tokieda-senpai, why do you two know so much about those!? I can understand Satori-senpai, but you two as well!?"

 **Gummy:** "I know about them too! My favorite is actually Wisteria Blooming in the Moonlit Snow. It's so sad yet so beautiful! What the main characters go through... It's a roller coaster of emotions."

 **Honest Sister:** "Oh my, you are all honestly making me blush over here! But I can't take all the credit. Some of it goes to my inspirations as well. And to Arashiyama-san, it's fine. I've already given hints that they all happen within the same world."

 **Double-Snipe:** "The hints are in volume three of PL, volume five of WPLSK and volume 2 of DDSH. There is also a line from WBMS volume 4 that gives the idea that the main characters are reincarnations of some characters in the other stories."

 **Gummy:** "Oh! I just looked back and saw them! You're right!"

 **Mountain #5:** "Oh yeah, sorry, Kitora. I know about them from my sister. She's an avid reader of them."

 **Orange Cat:** "Misaki asks me for help at times."

 **Honest Sister:** "By the way, I'm starting up a new project real soon. I'm not sure what to call it just yet, but the idea is that there is this glasses-girl who just joined an assassination agency and meets this tsundere guy because of an incident at her school. She isn't too good as assassination while the guy honestly is, so she asks off his help. The issue with that is the fact he sees her as a rival since she is so sweet without trying to be."

 **UMA:** "That sound familiar."

.

Yuki felt the second-hand embarrassment as he continued to read the chat log. He thought that they would be talking staregy given the current circumstances, but that wasn't the case.

Even with people like Kitora and Katori there, the conversations relaxed and trivial.

 _They even managed to rope in Hyuse with the conversations._

Was this the reason Mei seemed irritated?

Maybe the look she had given him was saying, "Do something about them before we really have problems."

He could understand why she had punched him.

Murakami was also looking at his phone but said nothing about what they were seeing.

This whole thing had gone downhill so fast that they were at a loss on what to do.

That was when they saw a certain message appear.

.

 **Wisteria:** "Everyone, get serious or I will punch all of you."

.

"Don't they understand that we are busy?"

Yuki and Murakami looked over to see Mei walking up to them while wearing the same dress and hat Yuki had on before.

They said nothing as she started walking away, they just followed behind her.

It was a rare sight to see Mei upset so it was best to stay out of her way. That was exactly why the two of them were at least three feet away from her.

Neither one of them asked where they were lead to and just followe along. That didn't mean they weren't wondering since they were going towards a more populated area of the mall.

They left the inside of the mall and moved over to and open area of trees and tables. People were walking around, going about their daily lives.

Mei moved over to one of the free tables while placing the bag on said table.

Yuki and Murakami sat down to her right and left.

She quietly pulled out her phone, the other two did the same.

She looked down, the other two did the same.

.

 **Wisteria:** "Let's go over everything now. Okay?"

 **Vulpecula:** "Everyone, please behave yourselves. Mei isn't particularly happy right now."

 **Wisteria:** "This is how we are going to do things. We will first go over where everyone is. Then we will each give short summaries of any and all battles we have had up to this point. Finally, we go over what the hell is going on."

 **Megane:** "So who will start?"

 **Wisteria:** "I am currently at the outdoor food court with Yuki and Murakami. We are dressed differently, so you may not recognize us."

Yuki looked over to see that Murakami did in fact look different. He hadn't noticed until now that his best friend had his hair flat on his face and his choice in clothing was closer to a park ranger's than anything.

 **Honest Sister:** "We see you guys! Damn, you three are pretty hot!"

 **Honest Sister:** "Wait! Is that honestly my mom's dress!?"

 **Vulpecula:** "I had ended up at your house and she helped me out. I know it's weird but she let me borrow her dress and hat to hide from Ouji."

 **Honest Sister:** "Yuki-san! You could have told me you were going to crossdress! Do you know how many people have asked for pictures of that! So rude!"

Yuki shook his head at the comment.

 _How am I being rude? And who the hell would want to see me crossdress!?_

 **Vulpecula:** "Anwyays... You put "we" just now, who else is with you?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Chika-chan. We are on the roof right now."

The three of them looked straight up and saw someone waving down at them.

 **Ibis:** "There are binoculars up here. We can see the city and check for anyone on their way here."

 **Rokkun:** "That's smart thinking."

 **Vulpecula:** "Wakamura... You wouldn't happen to be with my sister, would you?"

 **Talented Yoke:** "He's not. I couldn't stand being around her so we split up. I'm with four-eyes and the other Tamakoma guy right now. We're getting something to drink. Also, these two have some weird tension between them."

 **Honest Sister:** "Welp... Another idea for me!"

 **True Hero:** "I'm with Taiyōko-chan right now. We are at one of the electronic stores on the third level. She's busy looking at the different things they have."

 **Vulpecula:** "Good. And Suzume, you better not involve Hoshi."

Murakami rolled his eyes at his friend's expression and decided to take the lead in the conversation.

 **Best Memory:** "So, back on topic, where is everyone else?"

 **Werewolf:** "I'm with Ai near the clothing stores on the fourth level. We're just sitting in a bench."

 **Mountain #5:** "I'm by the arcade with Mitsuru and Ken. We aren't too far from Hoshi. We'll keep an eye out."

 **Colors:** "I'm with Shishou on the other side of the mall."

 **Megane:** "He started calling me that. If anyone didn't know..."

 **Honest Sister:** "You guys are so helpful! I'm going to make sure you all get discounts on my next few doujinshi!"

 **Werewolf:** "We don't want that!"

 **Gummy:** "Speak for yourself."

Mei gave a nod as she looked over what everyone had said.

She started typing once more.

 **Waisteria:** "Good. Now we will give the summaries on our fights. We will be going in order from the start of the day."

 **Orange Cat:** "Meaning Tsukiko-senpai is first."

 **Vulpecula:** "Right. It started when I was getting chased and attacked by Miwa, Kei-san, Kako, that damn airhead, and Mino. I managed to get away without actually having to fight them. I made some good distance and went into hiding. Kushi had found me hiding and threatened me with attacking the area. That was when Mei came in to help."

 **Wisteria:** "I held back that damn woman while Ninomiya came into the scene. Murakami was able to protect Yuki. That gave the others time to get there. Then we used the special Teleport to escape."

 **Best Memory:** "That should be around the time you all got the messages telling you to hunt us down."

 **Vulpecula:** "I ended up bumping into Kage and Pyrínas. We made out way to my school - where we agreed to meet. Oh, and Kage said that his squad would help us out."

 **Best Memory:** "That's where we ended up fighting against Arafune Squad and Nasu Squad."

 **Vulpecula:** "Suzu, try not to tease Yoshi too much for a while. He deserves a break for a bit. Arafune Squad is also helping us out now."

 **Honest Sister:** "Okay. I'll try and keep it to a minimum."

Yuki nodded his head in appreciation while Suzume waved down at them.

Mei ignored the two idiots and looked down at her phone.

"So that was where things began. Yuki getting chased led to that kind of turn of events. This is an issue that made even Arafune Squad and those A-Ranks go after him. I suppose it's good that Arafune and his team changed their mind on the matter."

"It's not too surprising. It was actually more on Hanzaki than Arafune. He was having trouble shooting Kiyoshi, so he ended up changing the outcome of that fight. Also, because of that fight, Pyrínas was able to get away. "

"We also had a bit of obligation to fight them there since there some students taking weekend classes."

Mei gave said nothing as she started typing.

 **Wisteria:** "Alright. Next up."

"I needed up meeting Mikumo and his team. I had asked them to help out Kotowari Squad instead of belong me."

He typed that out as he said it, just so Mei could hear it.

 **Colors:** "We were on our way to see if we could find one of you when we noticed that we were being followed. The decision we agreed on was to split up and deal with whoever was following us."

Murakami could see the pride on Yuki and Mei's faces when they saw the message.

That group of four had gone and made a choice without needing their help.

He could understand.

 **Colors:** "Okudera-senpai and Koarai-senpai had followed me and we fought. I'm not sure if any of you saw it but Gates had opened up above us. It was an Illgar and multiple Bado. With help from Girikage-senpai and Shor, we beat the Neighbors and the two from Azuma Squad."

The three of them looked at their screens in confusion.

They had not seen any Gates opening, but they still believed the Shooter.

"That's odd. A Gate opening so far out like that? Could it have been a Rad?"

"Let's focus on this for now."

 **Honest Sister:** "Arashiyama Squad and Miwa Squad showed up to my concert. They tried to interrupt my concert, so I messed around with them. Apparently Ken-kun didn't warm them about me."

 **Double-Snipe:** "I did! No one listened to me!"

 **Mountain #5:** "Sorry, Ken. We weren't sure about what to do."

 **Honest Sister:** "So I continued on with my concert and sang a new song. Now we have both squads on our side. I really didn't think Miwa would be fine with helping us out."

 **Vulpecula:** "He's been calming down recently. That's good."

 **Rokkun:** "Maybe Narasaka helped in shifting their standing on all of this. Since he is helping Misaki with sniping."

 **Ibis:** "Um... Misaki-senoai looks a little red."

 **Mountain #5:** "So does Ken."

 **Werewolf:** "Moving on. I had gone back to grab Ai before running. We ended up at a plaza where I had a fun time fighting with Futaba and Shun. I didn't get to fight Ai, though."

 **Kitora:** "That's a good thing, you dog!"

 **Werewolf:** "Is it? But we didn't get to have a fun fight."

 **UMA:** "Toby, could you give Osamu a hint on how to handle Kitora? She directs some jealousy towards him."

 **Megane:** "She does?"

 **Kitora:** "I do not!"

 **Werewolf:** "Oh! That's easy! Ai is such a sucker when you really start praising her! Just keep going at it and make a quick escape!"

Yuki could see Mei getting a bit agitated again and so decided to interrupt the fight.

 **Vulpecula:** "So what happened with Hoshi?"

 **Vulpecula:** "Wait. I can guess what happened."

The amount of force he was applying to his phone was a bit amazing considering his current health.

 **HyuHyu:** "These two are sweating a lot."

The three of them blinked a few times when they saw the chat name.

They could guess that it was Hyuse, but that spawned one question in them.

"Why is _that_ his name?"

 **Vulpecula:** "Hyuse, why is that your chat name?"

 **HyuHyu:** "Because it was forced onto me, and I don't know how to change it."

The three of them shrugged and went back to what they were talking about.

 **Wisteria:** "Around when were these fights going on?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Around an hour ago. Why?"

Mei gave a few nods.

 **Wisteria:** "I was being chased by Motojime Squad around that time. That's when I found Toby fighting with Minoru. I had asked him and Kitora to take over fighting Motojime while is took on Minoru. Reiji-san whoed up but ended up fighting with someone else."

 **Werewolf:** "It sucked, but we got the job done. With some help from Yuma."

 **Honest Sister:** "And I got material!"

 **Colors:** "Tsukiko Squad had attacked me. I held them off for a bit. That's when Shishou and Amatori came in to help. We took them out."

 **Wisteria:** "And now we are all here."

* * *

Shobu was the type of person who always wanted to stay unnoticed to the general public. It was a general area that and not end, so he did not like that. Staying within a contained area with people he knew was best for him.

That's why he was fine with walking by himself through Border.

He stayed near the wall when he walked through the halls and even in the larger areas.

That was exactly what he was doing ad he made his way to a certain place in the large building.

He had been given something to do by his uncle and boss, so he was going to report it.

The building belonging to the Yagura Branch had no sign that his uncle and boss was there, so he decided to go to the next best place.

 _...I can...inform Shinoda-sama as well... ...That would be...good..._

He continued on until he reached the room he wanted.

There was a small plaque that showed it was the office for Border's Director Shinoda Masafumi.

He knocked three times before taking a step back.

There was some shuffling before a yell came out, telling him to go in.

When he went in he was Director Shinoda sitting at his desk and his uncle and boss on one of the chairs.

Akasora really had been here. That was good.

"Oh. Shobu. Hey there. Sorry that I wasn't at the office."

Shobu shook his head while closing the door.

"...It's fine... ...I came over...to inform you...of my findings..."

Both adults sat up straight when hearing this.

Shobu wasn't sure what they had been talking about but it seemed fine enough since there was no tension between the two of them.

Taking their silence as encouragement to continue, he spoke up again.

What he had found out had a chance of changing the way everything played out. That meant he had to get every detail right or things may get more hectic.

"...I went to...everyone who...who said they saw what was...going on... ...They told me...everything... ...Someone had gone up to them...with that offer...but they rejected..."

He tried to stop his pausing but it just happened.

The two adults seemed fine with it, so he continued.

"...They knew that...it was wrong...if they accepted... ...The person...giving the offer...did not force it...onto them... ...He just walked away..."

He was making some progress and they could see that.

"...They then contacted Border... ...The person was...a sickly-looming person... ...Black hair... ...Black eyes... ...Gray clothes..."

The two adults hung their head in frustration.

Shobu did not waver since he knew that their frustration was not directed at him.

"I see. So it's true. Yuki really did go around and... Damn. Now we really have to get serious about this."

Shobu tiltited his head a bit and made a small noise.

The noise got the attention if the adults in the room.

He slowly opened his mouth and let his small voice out.

"...They also said...that he was definitely...a part of Border... ...Since he had a sword...at his hip... ...Kōgetsu..."

Shinoda clicked his tongue when he heard that.

There was clear evidence that it was Yuki. He hated to think that it was true, but everything pointed right at him.

Every video, every picture, every report. Everything just went straight to him.

Well, almost everything.

"That settles it."

Akasora stood up and faced his long-time friend.

"Now we know that it wasn't Yuki."

"What are you saying? This just reenforces the fact that it is-"

"Not Yuki."

"Chishi! You can't just-!"

Akasora said nothing, just simply raised his hand.

Director Shinoda shut his mouth while lowering himself into his seat.

"I have a question for you, Masafumi. Ever since the second invasion, what Trigger has Yuki been using? What did he use against the ones going after our ship?"

Director Shinoda's expression widened as he thought about what his long-time fiend was saying. There was sense in what he was saying. It was the one thing that created holes in all of the evidence.

It was exactly what they needed right now.

"He's been using Idōgetsu!"

Akasora have a nod.

Director Shinoda was quick to stand up.

"Come on, you two. We need to go talk to the others about this. We have a chance at stopping this hunt before it really gets out of hand."

The uncle and nephew happily followed the Border Director.

They could now do something to help out their branch member.

* * *

Things were getting crazy in the chat once again, there was no way of hiding that.

Even so, Mei was not ready to hit something as it went on. She just watched the pointless messages go on.

Yuki saw her expression become more relaxed as she saw the messages and understood why this was happening.

 _This is how things should be. They're all being idiots and that's what she loves. And of course I'm causing her trouble again._

He put down his phone, gaining the attention of both Mei and Murakami.

They both gave him puzzled looks.

"I want to say I'm sorry for causing this trouble, but I'm sure I would get hit if I did. I didn't do anything to warrent this hunt some can't really apologize without sounding stupidly arrogant. I can't even say thanks since that is still like I'm acting above you all."

He saw them nod their heads in understanding.

That was the signal for him to continue on.

"All I'll say is that we should have a large barbecue later on. When everything is dine and over with." His expression turned a bit sour. "We can even invite that damn airhead, just so no one gets mad."

The other two smiled at hearing this. They both agreed to this idea.

"Although, I don't get why anyone would get mad if that airhead wasn't there. I mean, he's just so damn-"

"Okay, okay. We already know how you feel."

Murakami was the one to speak up between the two closest people to him.

"At least you're now getting that you dint have to apologize or thank us for anything. You're a hard person to deal with, but that's fine. We've learned to deal with you and your issues. Even your sister complex."

Mei held her boyfriend back when he tried to get up and attack his friend.

"Let's just get back on track now. You two can fight later on. Right now we have something to deal with."

Murakami nodded in agreement.

They all looked down at their phones to see a shocking message.

 **Honest Sister:** "I'm leaving!"

Mei was quick in calling Suzume.

She put the phone on Speaker as the phone rang. It only took a few second for someone to pick up.

It was not Suzume.

 _"I need some help! Misaki-san is ready to jump off of the building! I'm trying to hold her back! She's going for her Trigger!"_

It was Amatori. Her voice sounded panicked, making the three of them look up.

"Amatori, what's going on? Why is Suzume ready to jump off?"

 _"There's...another Tsukiko-senpai."_

"Takeshi already took out Maya."

The next voice was Suzume's. It was loud enough for them to cover up the speakers so that no one else heard her.

What she said did make them all get up in surprise.

It also made them much more cautious.

 _"Some asshole that honestly looks like Yuki-san is selling a Trigger!"_

* * *

While two of the Taiyōko siblings were at the mall talking with everyone else, the two other siblings were currently relaxing on a park bench.

On the right was the lazy genius who looked ready to fall asleep at any moment.

On the left was the crazy idiot who looked ready to cut something up.

Taiyōko Kushikage was the oldest one of the four siblings, so she felt that she needed to help her younger siblings when they needed it. Even if it was in the most demented of ways.

That was why she seemed to pissed at hearing that someone was using her younger brother's identity to do stupid things.

She stood up with a wild grin on her face.

Mukuro gave a tired look in her general direction.

"Are yoooooou~ going to find that idiot?"

When someone let's out a yawn or even mentions one people around would sometimes get the urge to yawn as well. That was no the case with Kushikage.

She continued to grin while staking a few steps forward.

With each step she took Mukuro became a bit more cautious.

He had never felt like that when around his siblings before, but thanks to a certain Attacker in Border's #1 B-Rank squad he had started to have some distance with his two older siblings.

He pushed that aside when he saw his older sister bring out her Trigger.

"Of fucking course I'm going to find that bastard. I'll break a bone or two then drag him straight to Border and my other idiotically retarded brother so he can beg for their forgiveness. It will be simple. But first..."

Mukuro said nothing, but he did bring out his own Trigger.

The two siblings faced forward as two people walked closer.

"Tamakoma wants to fight us, I feel inclined to give them that damn fight."

The two walking towards them were Konami Kirie and Karasuma Kyosuke, two A-Rank agents belonging to a different branch.

Four A-Rank agents stood together in a single place, two on one side and two on the other. It would not be the first time, but unlike those times these four had no reason to stop their fighting. Once this was over with they would continue on to the next battlefield.

Mukuro could see that both sides were ready for a fight, but he decided to try something different. It was a choice he himself made.

"Kushi-nee, can't we just tell them what's going on? Tamakoma could become valuable allies."

"Oh? Did you come up with that by yourself? Good job, good job. Here, I'll even give you an applause. Anyways. No. This will be so much fun. In want to beat down this fucking girl who thinks she's hot shit because of her standing as an Attacker."

Kushikage turned to Konami while calling out.

"But no hard feelings!"

"Right! We're just some girls who want to beat the crap out of each other!"

Kushikage gave a nod.

"See? She's fine with it. Now why don't you get ready to fight with that pretty-boy over there. I'm sure you two can have a talk about how damn weak you are."

An odd feeling ran through Mukuro as he heard these words. Pit was hard to tell exactly what the feeling was, but if he had to pick a word then it would have to be "irritation."

He was irritated that he was calling the both of them weak. There was no way he believed that he himself was weak, but he didn't think Karasuma was weak either.

He had been told about what the Tamakoma member had done during during the second invasion. It was actually a bit impressive.

Regardless, that was neither here nor there. Right now he had to focus on the fight in front of him.

Even if he didn't think Karasuma was really weak, he was still the opponent right now. That meant he could beat him down then get someone else from Yagura to apologize while he tries to sleep.

For now, this was the more important thing.

He got ready for the incoming fight.

 _Let's get this over with._


	9. Valkyrie

**Chapter 9:** Valkyrie

* * *

Brynhildr

Dvergar

* * *

Border's #3 Attacker and Border's Unmatched Valkyrie. They were the two women who were currently clashing blades with each one being as strong as the last one.

On one side was the dual-wielding Konami Kirie - Border's #3 Attacker.

On the other side was the big-bladed, big-breasted Taiyōko Kushikage - Border's Unmatched Valkyrie.

Kushikage moved around with relative ease while swinging her large blade around as if it were just a toy sword. Each time the large blade moved around the wind generated by the swings would push any surrounding leaves away.

Even with the large blade being directed at her, Konami managed to deal with it. Whether it was dodging or using one blade to move Dáinsleif to the side, she managed to survive each attack against her.

Forward and backwards, left to right, up and down. Each attack moved in different ways to get around each other and move on to the next attack. The two heavy-hitters moved with power as well as speed.

Kushikage continued to grin as she clashed blades with Konami.

This was what she enjoyed.

Fighting was something that was always enjoyable to her. No matter what kind of fighting, she would be happy.

Fights of knowledge, fights of valor, fights for noble reasons, fights for justice, fights for opinions, fights for life, fights for respect, fights for freedom, fights for love, fights for excitement.

Fights between loved ones, fights between enemies, fights between rivals, fights between religions, fights between countries, fights between Border and Neighbors, fights between agents.

Fights because winnings is nice, fights because losing sucks, fights because of boredom, fights because of provocation, fights because of lifestyles, fights because it seems right, fights because it seems wrong.

There were so many reason that she loved fighting and fights in general. Each fight either had a point or were just pointless. Either was one right or wrong to her. Each fight was its own thing that could be viewed by multiple people from multiple angles.

 _Fighting strong people is always the best. Fighting against weak people isn't so bad either. I mean, I have fun fighting Fuji after all~_

Fights in a real body caused injuries to that body that would take time to heal.

That was different when it came to Border's Triggers. If they got hurt then they would just need to remake their bodies. That time is also time that could be used for fighting, so that's what she did. Real body or Trion body. She used both of her bodies to fight.

It was marvelous.

No cuts, no leaking Trion, not even a moment of stillness.

The fight between the two of them continued on like wild animals fighting over prey.

There was soon reason for either one to stop, so they continued on without much of a care.

Neck, head, legs, arms, torso, shoulders, chest, feet, hands, eyes, ears, sides, hips. Every part of their bodies moved while targeting those parts. Everything was a target, meaning any hit would be an effective one that could lead to something greater in the fight.

Kushikage knew this well enough from her multiple fights.

 _Still..._

There was something she had to admit.

 _She's keeping up rather fuckin' well. Her attacks aren't as strong as I expected, but that's probably because she's holding back from using her stronger Trigger. She's not into usin' her Trion like a crazy bitch. I guess that's where we are different._

As she thought this, Kushikage brought her blade down like a hammer.

The attack wasn't meant to cut Konami down, it was meant to beat her down with brute force.

Cutting attacks and power attacks were different in nature, but the way someone moved to use one of those attacks was similar.

That was basis for Kushikage's victories. If attacks seemed similar in their movements then she could use those movements and decide on the type of attack the moment before impact.

She could see that Konami was starting to see what she was doing. Before her attacks connect, Konami would take a step back to give herself a few seconds to see what kind of attack was going to hit.

.

While the fight between the two women continued, another fight was happening between two other branch members.

Mukuro, unlike his sister, moved on light feet and tried to keep off the ground for as long as possible while he was getting attack by Karasuma.

He kept an eye on his sister's fight while dodging or blocking every attack from his opponent.

It was not that he was thinking little of the other A-Rank but rather, he wanted to make sure that his sister did not destroy the surrounding area.

"-"

He made a sound that was hard to distinguish.

The sound made it seem like he was confused as well as knowing exactly what he wanted to say.

It was odd enough to make Karasuma take a moment to realize that the sound was accidental.

 _What was that?_

Mukuro lightly shook his head.

 _I'm not confused. If it was confused, what would I be confused about? Everything is simple right now. No need to be confused. If I was confused then that would mean I would be on the level of an idiot like that dog._

Like Mei, he was not someone who asked many, if any, questions. He was smart enough to know more than most people, there was no reason for him to ask questions.

Then why was he confused?

The fight between Konami and his sister was a simpleminded brawl, they were doing this to help their brother, these two were currently their enemies, and he just had to continue dodging or blocking. It was so damn simple that he was extremely bored with it.

Then why was he confused!?

"Oh."

There was something that wasn't so simple.

 _I'm being cautious since I don't want to destroy the area._

That was why he was confused.

For any normal person this would not be something so confusing. It would be a rather kind and thoughtful thing for him to think about.

Mukuro was not a kind and thoughtful person.

He was the type of person to follow his siblings and the destruction they caused. There was never a reason for him to not start destroying stuff when his two older siblings did it like it was a natural thing to do. As long as his siblings were fine with it, he was too.

So that brought up his current issue.

 _Why am I caring about Kushi-nee's destructive ways now?_

There was no sensible reason for him to care at all. Kushikage was right there so that should be enough for him. Just knowing that he could follow her meant that he didn't need to do anything else.

Even so...

 _I was sent in this assignment by myself. Tenryū was also sent out, but we aren't working together. So I've been on my own for a whole now..._

He could feel a bit of anger boiling up at the thought.

His anger only grew as a certain Attacker came to mind.

This is what he wanted from Mukuro. He wanted Mukuro to move away from following his siblings and start doing things without them.

Without realizing it, Mukuro took a step forward.

He pushed off the ground towards Karasuma. His torso was close to the ground while his eyes were focused on his target. He moved his legs so that he took steps instead of just letting his feet fall to the ground.

When he was halfway across the distance he noticed that he was attacking.

It was not something he had planned on doing but the thought of that Attacker got him mad. That was enough for him to reflexively start attacking.

Not wanting to lose his momentum and have to start blocking at awkward angles, he lifted his other foot to continue with rush.

He maneuvered around Karasuma's defense while bringing up his arm.

He made a slashing motion with his hand.

Karasuma moved back to get some distance.

In an instant, his arm was sent flying.

From his spot a few feet away, Karasuma could see what had attacked him when he never saw a blade get pulled out.

Five blowtorch-like blades of Trion were coming out of Mukuro's fingertips. Each one was around a foot long and made a buzzing sound that is never heard when using a Trigger.

It was a special Trigger.

The fight between the two of them had just escalated into a real battle.

That meant he also needed to really fight instead of just playing it safe.

* * *

Shobu was quiet the whole time he walked with the two older males. Behind his uncle was where he felt safe, so that's where he walked.

In front of him, Akasora and Shinoda spoke about their current situation.

There was a bit of hope in their voices that made it seem like things would be alright once this was all over. Each step they took, each word they said, it made it seem like there really wasn't anything wrong at the moment.

"Now that we know there is someone else who is taking up his image we can tell the others and have them look for this identity thief. We just have to tell them to look for the one with a Kōgetsu instead of Idōgetsu."

"Hm. Should have just trusted your instincts first. Get everything figured out before you started going after my student. Now Mikado City is in a bit of a mess because of this. It seems that they still focus on taking out Neighbors, though, so that's a good thing."

Director Shinoda nodded his head.

"Yeah. I have to say that it was a good thing to make you branch director of Yagura. With you and those capable agents, things turn out well enough."

"I'm sure Mukuro has already found out about this, but my nephew should be given the credit. I sent the two of them out to find anything out of the ordinary with this situation. That lazy genius should be doing something about it right now, but who knows where the hell he is."

Shobu felt something land on his head.

"So, again, good job, Shobu. I'm really proud that you did this with very little instruction. Keep on doing things your way and you'll be good to go for life."

What had landed on his head was hand belonging to his uncle.

He was glad to get some praise, yet he felt that he was undeserved.

While he had managed to get the information for the witnesses, he didn't mention how much trouble it was as he couldn't finish a full sentence without taking some extra time. Luckily everyone he had spoken to was kind enough to not mention his problem.

He nodded his head ad they continued walking once more.

"You've done your part. I'm not going to ask you for anything else. You are free to go and do as you please."

Director Shinoda and Akasora both knew that they needed as many agents as they could get right now but they also knew that this was enough for the young agent. While he would be useful right now, he accomplished what he needed to get done.

There was no reason to ask anything else of him right now.

"...So... ...Can I...go see...a friend...?"

"Of course. I'm pretty sure Kaze and Ame are at the base right now. If not, I'm sure you can find them."

Shobu shook his head.

"...No... ...Not them... ...Tomoe... ...From Kakizaki Squad... ...I want to...tell them...not to go...after Tsukiko...sama anymore..."

The two older males looked at each other with different expressions.

Akasora smiled down at his nephew with a proud look.

"That's fine. Like I said, you can do as you like. Go on and tell your friend about this."

Shobu gave a final nod before walking away.

The other two noticed that his pace was a bit faster than usual.

Once they knew he was out of hearing distance, Akasora let out an odd sound.

It was no surprise to hear it, although it did make Director Shinoda jump a bit.

"I'm so proud of him! He's making more friends! First it was Sasamori from Suwa Squad and now it's Tomoe and Kakizaki Squad! This means I'm doing a great job as his uncle! Right!? Right! He's even going on his own to find them!"

"Yes, yes. Now calm down. You're getting strange looks from others again. I know you're happy for him, but that doesn't mean you need to make a scene that others can use against you."

"C'mon, Masafumi! After all the crap that's going on I deserve this much! Even though my idiotic students are getting hunted like animals for something they didn't do, I'm happy that my nephew is starting to do things on his own!"

Director Shinoda could only shake his head at his friend's stupidity.

"Hey, do you think he'll get rid of those devices now? Ah~ That would really be great. He relies on those to interact with others way too much. I don't want to say anything because I don't want to push him, but even I can see that those things need to go."

"How does he even get the information on things like that? It actually rather creepy."

"Mei. She gives him information on things like that. Sometimes Misaki helps. I don't know how, but I really don't want that answer."

"It could be because of her Side Effect. Although, I can't really say much about that since I don't really understand her Side Effect."

"I had asked Awdry and Kotowari about it before, and they spoke about it like they knew everything about it, but I didn't get it too well either."

"Speaking of not understanding things. Could you tell me why exactly Kushikage decides to do things that make us directors get headaches on a a daily basis?"

"Kind wish I could answer that too. You guys are the ones who decided to shove that whole family under me while forcing me to be in charge of Yagura. I'm having trouble dealing with her myself. I will say that Mukuro is getting a bit better to deal with, though."

Akasora looked towards the ceiling as if it held all the answers they wanted.

"I'm not sure what happened with him but he's not causing as many issue as before. He doesn't go out with his sister too much anymore and he's actually listening to me a bit more."

"Should that warrant some concern?"

"Probably."

The two thought more about what was going. Not just with their current situation but also with the ones who were currently active in the situation.

For now they needed to focus more on getting the other directors to agree to stop chasing Yuki.

That was their current goal.

* * *

" **200 seconds until Bail Out. Begin countdown.** "

That was all Mukuro needed to hear to know he had won this fight.

This was no longer a fight to see who could defeat each other it rather a fight to outlast those three minutes that Karasuma had to fight.

Those three minutes would also be a bit difficult since that meant he was deciding to go all out now.

 _He has upped his speed and power. From what I've been told... Yes. I no longer need to cut his head off. Now I simply need to wait this battle out. Basically he screwed himself._

Even with that thought in mind he got ready for the fight to come. It wasn't because he wanted to fight or that he respected his opponent. The reason he got ready to fight was because he knew what Karasuma could do when he was using Geist.

Speed and power were what he was really relying on right now. That meant that he had to outmatch that speed and move away from that power.

He stood ready with his arms loose in the air.

In only a few seconds Karasuma was in front of him with his blade ready to strike.

Mukuro moved with the blade while spinning his body. The spinning brought him all the way around where he was met with the blade once more.

He continued to spin while moving back, dodging each attack.

He noticed that he was getting closer to some trees nearby and made a quick decision to duck under the attack while moving forward.

It was another moment that confused him.

There was no reason to care about those trees that were around them as if making arena for them. He could say that he didn't want to be stuck with a tree at his back, but that would be a lie. He could say that he didn't want to get in trouble, but that would be a lie. He could say multiple things, but they would all be lies.

He had no actual reason for making sure that Karasuma didn't cut the tree. It was just something he took a moment to think about while dodging the attacks.

This was something he could not figure out. Since it was something he could not figure out, he was mad about it.

It didn't show on his face but it just seemed like there something bothering him.

Even so, he continued to dodge each strike, counting down the seconds until he no longer had to fight this opponent.

.

No matter how much Karasuma swung his sword, how much he advanced, how much closer he got to Mukuro, he was always just a breath away from reaching his target.

There was an odd familiarity with the way Mukuro moved as he dodged the attacks. It felt like he had been in this kind of situation before with someone else. A kind of situation where he could see the end of the fight yet never reach it until he was forced into a loss.

 _Oh._

It finally came to him.

 _It's like I'm "fighting" Tsukiko-senpai._

Light feet, gentle steps, a lack of impatience, fluid spins and jumps, quick movements that were so close together that they seemed like a single motion. Everything was the same as the times he had been fortunate enough to fight against Yuki.

There were a few difference between then and now but they were generally the same.

 _He is trying to stall for me to Bail Out because of Geist while Tsukiko-senpai went in for attacks._

Karasuma continued to attack while thinking about his current fight and his previous fights.

 _He is missing a few steps here and there. Tsukiko-senpai was going all over the place._

He had respect for his upperclassman and liked to believe that he wasn't truly responsible for this whole incident.

That was exactly why he had started the fight using Geist.

 _We're suppose to be tracking down Tsukiko-senpai. Geist will force me to Bail Out, so it won't end badly. Even so..._

Even so.

 _I don't feel like losing to this guy for some reason._

With the resolve to win there, Karasuma moved forward once more. Intent on landing at least one strike on his opponent.

This was something he felt like doing here, so he would accomplish that much.

* * *

 **Vulpecula:** "If that's the case, leave everything to me now."

 **Vulpecula:** "Well, not everything. I still leave the rest of you to deal with some others."

.

Yuki let out a sigh as he closed his phone.

His former teammate had just put something crazy in the chat they were having. That was nothing new, it was just what she had put was more crazy than most times.

Another "Tsukiko Yuki" explained multiple things that were currently going on and somewhat eased certain people's minds. The ones who were just chasing Yuki especially.

He looked over at Mei, then at Murakami. They were giving him the kind of look that screamed their disappointment at him.

"Is there something I can do for you two? Isn't this good news? Now we know who to hunt down ourselves."

"Please don't speak as if you aren't the reason for this. We thought it was just a misunderstanding, but it really is your fault. I should punch you just for your stupidity. Be happy that you're already hurt."

"What!? What did I do? And why the hell should I be happy that I'm injured? My ribs still hurt, you know? I'm pretty sure I should be in the hospital right now with how much blood I've coughed up today. The only reason why I'm still moving is because I don't feel like going down right now."

"I have to agree with her on this. You should have been more careful. Now we have to deal with all of this. The day is really starting to end, that means we wasted our whole day on something rather stupid because of you."

"Gah! Fine, fine! Look, I didn't notice that my spare Trigger was missing, okay? That's what you want me to say, right? I confessed, now stop looking at me like that. Hey! Don't increase the disappointment in your looks!"

Yuki gave a sharp look to his former Operator.

"Now that I think about it, didn't you get your Trigger confiscated? Not to say I'm not happy for the help, but you're breaking rules now."

"Oh yeah. Minoru had messages me after his Bail Out. He told me to tell you that's he's really sorry for kicking you like that. Now tell me what happened."

"Don't just change the subject like that!"

Mei ignored his cry while continuing to give him a hard stare.

"I did what any person should do and went into the clear path of destruction so that I would survive and escape. It's a simple method that I'm pretty sure you're aware of. I took that hit like a champ, even though I knew I would get hit pretty hard. I do feel bad for making Mino feel guilty like that, but I needed to escape."

"I see. Alright. Thank you for that information."

"Hm? What are you doing? From your finger movements it looks like you're typing 'Don't worry. It was his fault for being such an idiot. I won't ask you to do it again, but if the time ever comes again, kick him even harder.' That's it, isn't it? You want him to kick me harder next time!"

Mei said nothing as she continued to type on her phone.

"You can tell him that Yuki got some sense kicked into him with that hit. He should do it again so that he can actually become a human instead of an idiot who walks right into his death."

"Oh, good idea. I'm sure he'll feel better after knowing that his kick actually helped this idiot who doesn't care about his own well being."

"Kou! Why do you do this to me!? I'm going to tell Kuruma that you're being mean to me!"

"Tell him to aim for the head next time."

Yuki clicked his tongue as his best friend and girlfriend continued to ignore his complaints while thinking of new ways to kick the idiot right out of him.

Figuring that they would just ignore him some more, he turned back to the chat.

What he saw was something he somewhat expected.

Complete stupidity.

.

 **Werewolf:** "Hey, I know there are more important things going on right now, but I just saw something kind of interesting when going through my contacts."

 **Mountain #5:** "Oh? What did you find?"

 **Werewolf:** "Suzume, you're full name is written like '雀蜂,' meaning 'Hornet' or 'Wasp,' right?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Yeah. Why? And if this is going where I think it is, I'm going to honestly smack the crap out of you."

 **Werewolf:** "If you take out the '蜂' from your name and leave the '雀' doesn't it mean 'Sparrow'? So doesn't that mean we've been calling you a bird all this time instead of a bug?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Alright! You are banned from my concerts for a month and I will smack the crap out of you! Kitora-chan, can you honestly do me a favor and keep him with you until I see him again?"

 **Kitora:** "Okay. I'll even give him a slap right now for his stupidity."

 **Honest Sister:** "Thanks."

 **Werewolf: "** Hey! You can't ban me! I'm both the stage help and security! Who would replace me!?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Yuma-kun, can you honestly take his place?"

 **UMA:** "Sure thing."

 **Werewolf:** "You traitor!"

 **Double-Snipe:** "That's why I call her 'Suzu-chan'! I use '鈴' since it goes better with her! She's like a lovely bell!"

 _That's actually why I call her that too,_ thought Yuki.

 **Double-Snipe:** "Wait! Maybe I should just start calling her 'Bell-chan' instead! It's just as beautiful!"

 **Honest Sister:** "Thanks for the compliment, Ken-kun, but save those kinds of words for the other girls. That was honestly a good one, so it might get you a good date. I'm rooting for you! Give me more material!"

 **Double-Snipe:** "OfajfHagdurMagejdYaGabejrichsOwbekgivbaD"

 **Honest Sister:** "?"

 **Talented Yoke:** "I think you broke him."

 **Rokkun:** "There, there. It's okay, Satori. I understand all too well."

 **Color:** "That's not a good thing..."

 **Honest Sister:** "Why are you getting all fussy over it? You honestly know that I would get more material out of it."

 **Color:** "That's not why he's freaking out, Suzumebachi-senpai."

 **Werewolf:** "Why do you do this, Suzumebachi!? How could you hurt a man like this!? ╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻"

 **Honest Sister:** "Don't you start using emojis! I thought you were better than this! And why the hell are you two honestly calling me that now!? I don't care if you call me 'Suzume'!"

 **Color:** "It just doesn't feel right anymore."

 **Honest Sister:** "Okay, so I'll start calling you 'take' instead of 'Take,' and 'Tobius' instead of 'Toby'. That sounds about right."

 **Werewolf:** "Fine. 'Suzume' it is."

 **Color:** "Right. You win, Suzume-senpai."

.

Yuki shook his head when he read the messages. Once again, his former team had managed to drag Tamakoma into the stupid conversation and he did not want to stay and see what that was about.

He looked over at his best friend and girlfriend. The two of them were still coming up with ways to make him just a bit smarter.

Seeing that he was no longer needed around them, he stood up and took his leave.

Now that he knew what was going on, and who to beat up, all he had to do was take them out. He would have told the others that he was leaving, but he felt like they were having too much fun for him to interrupt.

He used his great sneaking abilities that had been saving him throughout the day to walk away from the two plotting his demise.

* * *

Two powerful woman of Border continued to attack each other with ferocious strikes. Each one felt like they held large amounts of weight to them while also being quick enough to not be a defense.

Kushikage swung her Dáinsleif with a single arm as if it were a toy and nothing more while Konami used both hands to move Sōgetsu for powerful strikes. Each time these two Triggers clashed a vibration could be felt by their wielders. Each vibration was more motivation for them to continue attacking harder and harder with no moment for rest.

Neither one was paying much attention to the other fight going on only a few feet away and instead decided to just face the opponent in front of them with as much ferocity as possible.

"Hey, little girl! Do you really think that my piece of shit brother would actually do something so fuckin' stupid!? It would be pretty funny if he did, but he's changed too much to actually get the balls to do it! He's been kind of a bitch since we've come back!"

"Yuki wouldn't do that! None of us from Tamakoma believe that kind of crap! We are just making sure that it is true!"

"Oh!? Oh! I get it! You guys as acting as Border's bitches so you won't get in trouble! Hahaha! Perfect! Great! Excellent! If you guys are looming out for yourselves then I get it! I'm happy to hear that! Since I know that piece of shit brother didn't actually do anything I can't go and cut his balls off! But it seems..."

Kushikage swung her large blade down.

Konami jumped back when she noticed that the attack held more force than before.

The ground shook a bit while a crack could be seen where the attack had struck.

"I can beat the fuckin' shit outta you guys for being bitches! Thanks for this! Now I can really have some fun!"

Konami knew that she could be rough at times, and that there were girls more vicious than there when fighting, but this woman was on a whole other level. The amount of power and ferocity coming from her was less like an animal and more like an evil creature.

It looked like the red-haired woman cared for nothing more than fighting. She did not care about her brother, or even Border, all she wanted to do was fight with people for the sole reason of fighting. The area and the person did not matter to her, just the fight.

Tachikawa always seemed like a battle maniac, but he at least held reason when he fought. This woman was moving around with her instincts and any force generated from her body.

 _Even so..._

Even so.

 _She moves so well that I can see why she's an A-Rank. She doesn't move randomly or without any sort of plan._

Some girls complain about the size of their breasts, but even small ones can be useful in a fight. They can use their small bodies to do some flat-chest evasions or escape through small spaces.

On the other side of that were large breasted woman. Those woman could use their large breasts for some extra momentum. It would add some power to their attacks if used correctly. That was exactly what this woman was doing.

Kushikage continued to move her body around to use every aspect of it to her advantage. Each turn used power from her body Trion-made body while any sort of extra force generated added to her power.

 _This is a stupid fight!_

Konami could feel her irritation boil over as she continued to fight this strange and dangerous woman.

If she did not stay focused throughout the whole fight then there was no doubt that she would be cut in two from a single hit.

She remembered fighting against the Neighbor from Galopoula and felt that this fight was similar to that yet also completely different. While she knew almost nothing about that Trigger, this blad Trigger was so plain and simple and it threw her off a bit. Each attack was just one slash after another yet they were just as bad as the canon-like attack from that Neighbor.

Then there was the issue of Trion. It seemed like this woman had a large amount of it since she continued to attack without any regard for her surroundings or Trion level. She has let loose some slashes similar to Senku while not even seeing the area it hit get destroyed. Those attacks kept going, giving the impression that Trion was nothing to her.

Meanwhile, Konami had started to conserve her own Trion to continue fighting.

She clearly had less Trion than her opponent, meaning she had to either speed things up and win or slow things down to think things through. Both options were risky, but they were the ones that she had.

So she made a choice.

"!?"

Before she could put that choice into action, she saw a flash of light that ended up going towards the direction the Tamakoma Branch was at.

Turning around would take her eyes off of her opponent, which would end her, but she wanted to check if she was right.

" _Sorry, Konami-senpai."_

That was all the clarification she needed.

Karasuma had lost.

That meant she would now have two people to fight. That was an issue now since this one opponent was more than enough. Having a second person fighting her would just lead to more trouble when fighting.

It had just become a battle she could no longer win on her own. She would need help from someone who could also keep up with these fights.

That being said...

 _Is there even anyone around!?_

She truly was alone to fight these two now.

That meant it would be two against one.

 _Still..._

Konami readied herself for the battle once more.

She had been facing someone who might not even be human while another one would be there shortly to assist in this evil creature. The changes of her winning were almost nonexistent.

 _I can at least get them down in Trion!_

She moved forward with the intent to fight.

She was Border's #3 Attacker. That meant she was stronger than a good amount of the Border agents. That would be shown here as she would take on two monsters right now.

Even if victory escaped her.

* * *

Due to something being said a few minutes ago, Yuki was running on rooftops once more. This time he was not being chased and instead was the one chasing. He had gone in the direction Suzume had said she saw the look-alike.

While he knew he would be chased again by others, he at least knew the reason this time and that they had actual reason to fight him. His kind could now be in the fights instead of wondering why they were doing this.

Now all he had to do was find this person who looked like him and take him out.

It was a simple objective that he could acomplish by himself.

Yet...

"You know... I'm really getting tired of people following me!"

"Then just give up!"

Yuki slid to a stop and turned around to see three people two buildings away.

With the day dragging on and it becoming later there were less people around than before. That meant they didn't have to worry too much about civilians and could just focus on each other.

The three people were wearing matching outfits with their color scheme being red and black, a design that Yuki had to admit he quite liked.

"C'mon, guys, you know I'm innocent. I even have proof that I'm not to blame."

"Yeah, but... We know ya. Ya could easily make things up."

Mizukami let out a sigh as he stood next to his captain.

Ikoma Squad had managed to find him, something he would not readily admit, so there was only one thing left to do at this point. They all knew a fight was coming on and that it would be a rather difficult one.

Still, there was no actual malice coming from the B-Rank team.

"We actually don't believe yer guilty either. This guy just wants to fight ya. That's really it. Blame him, not us. We're just dragged along for the ride."

Yuki could feel himself get a bit irritated at what he was hearing.

He could really believe that they didn't care ago what was going on and just wanted to fight him. Ikoma had always been there to fight him or Toby whenever they were around. He found some way to harass Suzume and Mei before as well. Yet he had a sort of soft spot of Takeshi and Hoshi. Even so, Ikoma squad was on really good terms with the former Tsukiko Squad and current Kotowari Squad.

That was why Yuki could forgive the stupid reason right now.

"Look... My proof is currently getting away and I need to catch it. I'll fight you guys later, okay? Right now I really need to go get another idiot."

"Nope. This is the best change to fight ya, Kiyo. We're gonna fight ya now."

So simple and straight forward that Yuki felt his irritation grow.

He saw the three in front of him get ready for the fight while already knowing that Oki was ready to shoot him at any moment.

"Fine... But..."

He slowly went for Idōgetsu.

The only way to make sure that they would stop annoying him was to take them all out.

"You better buy me a bunch of ice cream as payment!"


	10. Vulpecula: Part 3

**Chapter 10:** Vulpecula: Part 3

* * *

The silver tongue that turns truth into lies

* * *

Yuki rushed forward with Idōgetsu being held in a reverse grip. His target was the Shooter who would be an issue later on in the fight.

Mizukami moved back while Ikoma and Minamisawa took a step forward with their blades ready.

They both their blades forward once Yuki was withing range.

Yuki saw the attack coming and twisted his body in the air so that he would stay in the air for a few more seconds. The two Kōgetsu move under him, letting him use their hilts as steps for him to move passed the two Attackers and towards the Shooter.

A shot from somewhere moved towards Yuki at the same moment.

Without looking in the direction, Yuki lowered his head so that the shot would end up over his head.

He used Teleport to appear in front of Mizukami while crating a crescent-shaled blade at the end of Idōgetsu. It was only inches away from the Shooter's neck.

Mizukami reacted quickly by lowering his body and rolling down the roof of the building. His back hit the ground.

Not wanting to be attacked again, he rolled on the ground while lifting himself up. Each roll let him escape the blade.

He jumped back again while firing shots towards Yuki.

From the front were the shots, from the left was Minamisawa, from the right was Ikoma, from behind was a Sniper. The moment these four attacks connected with their target...

"!?"

They all saw a strap fall to the ground in place of where the fox with the silver tongue once was.

"Above!"

Between the two Attacker, Ikoma was faster to react by lifting his Kōgetsu up to block the weaker blade of Idōgetsu.

Minamisawa saw his chance by moving his own Kōgetsu towards Yuki's exposed neck.

The ones from Ikoma thought this was it. The first bit would be theirs.

Until...

"..."

A cube of Trion appeared right above Yuki before splitting apart and slamming into the ground. The real targets had been Ikoma and Minamisawa but they managed to see the attack and move back.

Minamisawa tried to see through the smoke that rose into the air from the attack. He was going to go in to attack. What was stopping him was the fact that even his captain was not moving towards the pseudo-smokescreen.

Once it started to go down he took a step forward.

The moment he did that, he could no longer stand.

Without having any time to realize it, his legs were no longer attached to his body, and his arm holding Kōgetsu was also missing.

"Sorry about that, Minty. I really hated to do that, but I needed to borrow this."

Minamisawa looked up to see Yuki hokding his severed arm while crushing his legs. There was genuine guilt in his eyes from having done that.

"Now then. I need to hurry this up."

Yuki grabbed the Kōgetsu while placing the arm next to its owner.

He was gone in an instant.

* * *

All Mei could think of to do was sigh.

It had been around ten minutes since Yuki had left and she was getting the feeling that he was already doing something stupid. It seemed that Murakami was also getting the feeling since he was looming at his phone with his eyebrows knitted.

She decided to look at the chat as well to see if anything particular was going on.

.

 **Honest Sister:** "Mei-san, why are you sighing? It's honestly not like you to look so down."

 **Wisteria:** "It's nothing. I'm just getting the feeling that Yuki is doing something stupid again. He tends to did that a lot, so you can guess how I feel about this."

 **Talented Yoke:** "Is that some kind of Side Effect? It's a weird ass one if it is."

 **Best Memory:** "No. I get those feelings too. It's just something that happens when you are stuck dealing with that guy for as long as we have."

 **UMA:** "Oh? Murakami-senpai is messaging in such a weird way. A rather rude and cheeky way."

 **#5 Mountain:** "I can see why... I'm pretty sure that even Murakami is pretty much done with Yuki at this point."

 **Best Memory:** "No comment."

 **Wisteria:** "By the way, Suzume, why are you still watching us?"

 **Honest Sister:** "I needed to sketch your looks. I never knew you looked so good in a dress like that, Mei-san. Also, Murakami-senpai honestly looks hot as hell with his hair down. I have been meaning to put in a new character and he fits the type rather well. What's more, he honestly has the image that suits the main heroine's rival."

 **Rokkun:** "Oh? Is this one some kind of Shounen one? I thought you only did Shoujo, Yaoi and Yuri stuff."

 **Honest Sister:** "Shounen is honestly a bit difficult for me to draw. The poses they do at times is too much for me. No. What I meant by "the main heroine's rival" was her rival in love."

 **Orange Cat:** "Hm? Which story are you talking about? None of your popular ones are in need of rivals. Besides, I think that adding in Yaoi at this point would upset some fans."

 **Honest Sister:** "Oh! It's for a new one! Sorry, but I can't give much away. Ken-kun, it's the one I've been asking help on. Here, I'll send you a picture of what Murakami-senpai looks like right now. Tell me if you think he fits the appearance."

 **Double-Snipe:** "Oh! Oh! Oh! That one! Yeah! He looks good for it!"

 **Wisteria:** "Moving away from Suzume and her works."

 **Wisteria:** "It's been ten minutes since Yuki left to find that person Suzume was talking about. That's around as much time as he needs to do something stupid."

 **Colors:** "Mei-san, do you need to vent? Just tell us what Yuki-senpai has done to make you two so agrivated. Murakami-senpai, you can also say something."

 **Best Memory:** "I feel like there are too many things to say."

 **Wisteria:** "Let's start this off then. Besides what you guys know of, he has gone on a destruction parade with Tachikawa, started a fire at school with Kageura, covered Kido-san's chair in oil and vinegar, got Akasora-sensei banned from at least five bars and three charities, get at least half of Mikado City to think that Arashiyama and Jin were clones, as well as cut a good portion of some bridges up, causing traffic jams all around the city."

 **Megane:** "I have some issue with that last one."

 **#5 Mountain:** "I remember some of those. I had to tell so many people that I was not Jin's clone, or vice versa. I also remember Kido-san's chair. Mostly because he had asked to hide in our operating room for a while."

 **True Hero:** "I remember hearing something about a lot of things being destroyed when no Gates had opened. I never knew that it was because of those two."

 **Best Memory:** "Those aren't even the worse ones. And the fire was just to make our class president mad. The two of them had to deal with three hours of her lectures."

 **Best Memory:** "Those lectures are the best and worst kind of torture. Just letting you all know."

.

Both Mei and Murakami let out sighs as they thought more about what they had to go through because of the idiot known as "Tsukiko Yuki". They knew that there was no escape at this point and simply resigned to the fact they had to continue to deal with him.

While they were his best friend and girlfriend respectively, they just couldn't handle everything he had done up it this point without needing some therapy.

It was made worse since they both had Side a Effects that allow them to remember almost everything they saw or heard.

There were times when they wanted to just scream at his face, to tell him to stop, but they knew how he would react. He would just smile at them like it was nothing since he knew they could not really get mad with him.

While they were the ones who had to deal with the most because of him, they were also the ones who knew about everything that has happened to him. They understood him too much to really get mad at him or hate him. Likewise, he was also there for them when they needed it.

They let out sighs once more.

They knew they could never get rid of him, or even want too, so they were done with being done. They had resigned themselves to this kind of life and would continue on dealing with him.

After all, they would always been on his side.

* * *

Explosions continuously went off in a certain area that had a little amount of people around. The buildings were getting damaged, but the ones launching the attacks didn't seem to mind too much.

The destruction of the buildings caused debris to fly into the air, clouding the vision of everyone around.

The one who was running away could not see his surroundings, meaning the attacker had done his job of blinding the boy. Now there was less space to move through, and Teleport would be of no use if he could not see where he was going.

Even so...

Mizukami tried to see through the smoke and debris in the air. The odds of him getting attacked if he got closer was pretty high, which was why he just prepared another volley of shots.

Before he could fire then, he saw something coming towards him through the smoke and debris.

He moves to the side to dodge whatever it was and noticed something odd about it.

 _Kōgetsu?_

The Trion-blade had gone through the air with no one being on the other end of it to hold it. That meant the attack wasn't meant to actually hit him but to divert his attention.

It was a simple tactic that their current opponent would use.

Yet it wasn't so simple.

"!?"

He did not see a person on the other end of the hilt, but he did see something else.

 _What is that...?_

There was some kind of wrapping around the hilt.

Before he could think too much about it, the blade changed directions to go for him. Rather, it was forced to change directions and was sent towards him.

 _That's what he's doing!_

Something ran out of the smoke and debris.

That was when Mizukami saw it.

Yuki was waving his arms around while a sort of wrapping was connecting him to the Trion-blade as well as the Trigger known as Idōgetsu. Each time he moved his arms and wrists the two Triggers would move along and change directions.

Idōgetsu was by far the more dangerous one since it was spinning around like a scythe being thrown with a chain connecting to it. In a way it was more like a chainsaw than a blade.

Mizukami could see his teammates in the roof, staying away from the chainsaw-like Trigger and the Trion-blade. If they took a step forward then the two Triggers would change directions and chase after them.

Their wielders was in the middle of the road, moving his arms around to direct the two Triggers in the way he wanted.

It was an odd way of fighting, but an efficient one. Sneak attacks and counters were how Yuki usually fought. Against opponents like these this was the best he could do in the current situation. With only three opponents remaining here it would he just a bit easier to handle. The only other issue he had was that two of then were long-range fighters.

Since he knew that they were long-range fighters he knew what to do.

He took a step forward.

That one step lead to another. Then another. Then another. Then another. Soon he was running along the road, arms moving around to swing the wrappings around. He could clearly see Ikoma and Mizukami, that was enough for him. He didn't need to get closer to the Shooter to attack him.

 _I'll be fine._

The Kōgetsu that had a wrapping around it moved around in the direction Mizukami was running. The Idōgetsu with a wrapping around it moved to not only attack Ikoma but also to block the sniper shots heading for him. Only a moments glance was needed for him to realize where it was coming from.

This team, like him, was an unpredictable one. That meant unpredictability was the best way to take them out. That was exactly what Yuki was best at.

Now it would be a fight of attrition. One that Yuki would soon transform.

* * *

Ninomiya had received the message from Hiyami only seconds ago and he was already running in the direction of the fight.

His teammates could be heard behind him while the assisting Ouji Squad was coming up fro the side.

"Ninomiya-san, can't you slow down just a bit~? I'm pretty sure that he's not going to get too far away if he's fighting Ikoma Squad."

"You know as well as I do that he can get away from them. Especially since it's them. We don't really know what can happen."

"Ah... Fair enough."

Inukai did in fact know that nothing would be set in stone when it came to Yuki and Ikoma Squad. It wouldn't be shocking if Ikoma Squad had decided to help him instead because he just asked them.

That may have been why Ouji Squad was getting closer to them, to rejoin them in the hunt. They had most likely heard who Yuki was currently facing off against now. Having already fought them in the B-Rank Wars, they may have also wanted a bit of revenge.

 _Whatever the reason, it kinda sucks. We can't really talk to Kiyo if these guys are with us. Granted..._

He looked towards his captain to see his face just as scrunched up as it has been for the whole day.

 _Ninomiya-san might just start firing at him again..._

Inukai couldn't help the small sigh that came out as he thought about the two idiots who hated each other. They were far too stubborn to properly help each other, so he had to be the one to step in the middle to deal with them.

"Without those two here we probably have to protect the areas so that they don't get destroyed, right?"

Hearing his other teammate speak he looked over.

Tsuji was facing forward while his words were directed at Inukai.

Between the two of them, Tsuji was never one to give input when it came to the two stubborn idiots. He would always just watch while letting Inukai deal with them.

This might have been his way of calming Inukai a bit.

"Now that you mention it... Yeah. We probably have to focus on the area around them instead of actually fighting. Those two will probably end up destroy a whole block before anything is settled."

"That's why we are here. To make sure that this ends quickly."

Then the mood went sour once more.

The two from Ninomiya Squad looked over at Ouji to see him smiling at them.

"You guys can focus on protecting the area. We can be the ones to take that fox out. It shouldn't be too hard, right? He's been fighting the whole day, so that's mentally taxing. Now he's fighting Ikoma Squad, which will lower his Trion reserves. At this point it's just a simple matter of cutting his head off and letting him Bail Out."

At this point both Inukai and Tsuji were going for their weapons.

Inukai was getting tired of hearing this disrespect for one of his friends while Tsuji just didn't want to hear any more of this. While he wasn't particular close to Yuki he had enough respect for him to not want to hear this.

The two of them could see the other two members of Ouji Squad look at their captain oddly. It seemed like they were confused as to where this was coming from as well.

"Inukai, Tsuji, stop. Just ignore him and focus. Once we reach that faker, we're going to bombard him with attacks so he can't escape again."

Doing as they were told, the two of them out their weapons away.

Although they were ready to bring them out again.

* * *

Mei continued to look at the chat with an almost bored expression.

She knew she should have been out helping Yuki at the moment, but she felt a bit lazy at the moment.

Yes, even the great and powerful Takaoto Mei could feel lazy at times.

.

 **#5 Mountain:** "There was that time when he jumped into the river in the middle of Winter. He stripped down to his underwear for that too. He apparently wanted to feel exactly how cold it was."

 **Werewolf:** "And he scolded me for doing that before! He's a jerk!"

 **Honest Sister:** "To be fair, you went in butt naked."

 **Colors:** "You were just an idiot."

 **Colors:** "Sorry. I meant to say that you ARE an idiot."

 **Werewolf:** "Shut up! Suzume, you're the one who had to get bailed out of jail because she was using a damn chainsaw!"

 **Werewolf:** "Take, we had to get you from the next city over because you decided to go on a small trip by yourself! I really don't want this from from you two!"

 **Double-Snipe:** "I tried to stop her! Just letting everyone know!"

 **Megane:** "No one was blaming you..."

 **Double-Snipe:** "I'm just saying."

 **Rokkun:** "It feels like you're acting guilty about it. Especially when you keep going in about it."

 **#5 Mountain:** "It's fine. Kotowari Squad, you should probably know that he has been to jail as well. He also got caught by Mei for having been out of the hospital when he was suppose to stay there. Basically, anything you three have done he has probably done, but to a more extreme level."

 **Best Memory:** "Let's not forget who he's also related too. Kushikage-san is just as crazy while Mukuro is just a lazy guy."

 **Talented Yoke:** "...Taiyōko. You have a very crazy family."

 **Prototype Star:** "Yes... I know... But I still love them!..."

 **Talented Yoke:** "You didn't deny it. And we can all see that '...' at the end."

.

Mei let out a small sigh as she read the messages over.

It was sad that all of this was true. Anything her team had done she had seen her boyfriend do with more issues coming up.

Deciding that she would look at something else she went to her contacts to see who was in there. Not that she didn't already know.

 _Now that I think about it... Have I told my parents about us? They should be coming back from their travels soon..._

It was just a stray thought that floated through her mind as many other things ran by. It was an odd thought, but one she would be stuck with for a while.

"Well... In any case. We should get going soon."

Murakami looked up to see her relaxing in her seat and raised an eyebrow.

"In a few minutes that is."

* * *

It had been five minutes and Ikoma Squad was no closer to winning this fight than before. Without Ikoma being able to launch a proper attack or either of the other two having to dodge it made the fight that much harder to deal with.

Yuki had to only keep Idōgetsu out and continue to swing his arms around to make sure he didn't lose this fight. With Idōgetsu not needing too much Trion, and the Kōgetsu not being his in the first place, he would not be running low on Trion for a while.

Even so, staying in this fight would not be good. It would give other teams time to find then and assist in his capture.

There was one choice left.

He needed to take Ikoma Squad out and continue to follow his look-alike. Then he would have a chance at figuring out what was going on.

Now he just had to find a way to win quickly.

If he gave any one of them a moment to attack then he would lose the momentum he had built up in this fight. That would turn against him and force him back into a corner.

 _All I have to do is attack without giving them a moment. Simple._

As he thought that he could feel the weights of the weapons slacken in an instant.

He looked at the wrappings and saw that Idōgetsu and Kōgetsu were no longer attacked and were instead flying through the air. At some point the wrappings had been shot through by either Oki or Mizukami.

Yuki did not spend too much time thinking about it and instead went into action.

He had already placed a marker on Idōgetsu, so that's where he would go.

He was gone at the exact moment Ikoma rushed him for an attack.

There was a small flash coming from the right while the left was filled with small green cubes. The moment they came into view he was gone once more.

This time he appeared near Mizukami, who was waiting for him.

Shots were fired directly at him, filling him full of holes.

"-"

The moment he was hit his body was gone and was instead replaced by the same wrappings he had been using before. It was a replacement Trigger that had recently been created that allowed for such a thing to happen.

Mizukami had seen this Trigger in use before against Kotowari Squad's captain and Shooter. The fact that Yuki was a Teleport-user had slipped his mind at some point, meaning he did not even register the thought that he would have this Trigger.

When he finally understood what happened, it was too late.

"Oh."

He could see his body upside-down while his head was falling to the ground.

He was seconds away from understanding what was going on in the fight. Those few seconds were what Yuki was able to use to cut his head off. Not even a shot at him would reach at this point.

That meant that there were only two other members here who could attack him.

One was his captain while the other was their Sniper. The former would have no trouble fighting right now, but the latter was not so use to dealing with Yuki's spastic fighting style. It would be troublesome for him to try and get a clear shot in at the moment.

.

Yuki watched as Mizukami turned into light before flying off toward Border HQ.

He leaned back until he was falling off the building. A shot had barely passed him as he fell.

He could hear the sound of footsteps rushing towards him, as well as the small sound of a blade coming out far too quickly to be normal.

"..."

Yuki knew the extended slash was right there, ready to cut him into multiple pieces before forcing him to Bail Out.

"..."

Which was why he made his next move a quick one.

He didn't look anywhere other than the sky as the slash was coming towards him at amazing speed.

There was a reason that Ikoma was continuously in the top ten of the best Attacker in Border. Someone like Yuki, someone who was in no way a master at any one form of attack, could defeat Ikoma in a fair, one-on-one fight.

That was why he was glad this was not one of those fights.

"Okay is next."

He was gone from his free fall before the slash ever reach him.

It was an instantaneous decision that only someone as cunning as him could do without properly thinking about it.

A person's Trion Body was sometimes limited in what it could do. They could move faster than a normal human or move in certain ways that the normal body may deem unnatural. Those times would be impossible at times if the mind could not register such actions as possible. That was why using Idaten was a bit difficult to use if unprepared.

Yuki was never one to be involved in reality as much as others. His mind was always full of contradictions that forced his body to follow suit by moving the way he wanted.

Reality told him that he could not continue to live if he had his illness, so he contradicted that by thinking that his life is so unimportant that it he might as well continue to live.

Reality told him that he could not move freely in the air with no preparation, so he contradicted that by forcing his body to move while in a free fall with no preparation.

Reality told him that this slash attack would reach him and he would lose, so he contradicted that by making a split-second move that required little thought, thereby dodging the attack.

He was but a regular person who could not do anything like warp reality to his image. That did not mean he could not make it so that he moved as he pleased while reality was still there.

Contradictions, lies, inversion, reversals, and a warped sense of himself. That was how Yuki continued on with his fights. He defied what existed by existing in his own mind that was covered in lies and contradictions.

It was not just reality and himself that he contradicted. All of his opponents were also victims to this. A certain Shooter more so.

Oki was another one of these victims.

He saw where his upperclassman would appear and readied himself for the attack. His Trigger was raised and his feet were in a position to move back at a moment's notice.

Yuki contradicted this by appearing in the least optimal spot with Idōgetsu already at the Sniper's neck.

Oki tried to move away from the attack while Ikoma rushed towards them but found that he was not as fast as Yuki.

It was an odd feeling that he got as he tried to move. It felt like he had started moving first to dodge the attack, yet the attack came before he even moved at all. The feeling was a bit unreal, yet it all happened in what seemed to be slow motion for him.

Now there was only one member of Ikoma who could continue fighting.

Yuki jumped down from the building he was on as Ikoma walked towards him.

The two if them got ready for the epic battle between them.

Both sides with different fighting styles going at it for one reason or another.

Yet...

"..."

The two of them looked over as a black ball appeared in the sky with some electricity around it.

"An irregular Gate. Like what Take was saying..."

Seeing that another Gate was opening closer to the ground Yuki jumped onto the building once more before leaping further into the air. His target was the Gate in sky.

The Gate closer to the ground was faced by Ikoma.

From the ground came three Marmods and a Bander.

From the sky came multiple Bado.

Yuki could see each one clearly. There were ten of them and all of them seemed focused on him, being the only other thing in the sky at the moment.

With quick and precise movements he bounced from one Bado to the next. One hit was all it took to take each one out.

He knew he should not be using too much Trion on such low level Trion Soldier so he kept Teleport to a minimum and Idōgetsu in its base form. The end of it was all that was needed to pierce through the core of each one.

From his view in the sky he could see Ikoma easily taking out the ones on the ground.

Once the two of them were done they looked at each other; one from the sky and the other from the ground.

Knowing that he would simply be wasting Trion if he faced off against this opponent, as well as time, Yuki made another choice. This one was a simple one.

He jumped off a falling Bado to start making his way towards the direction he had been going before.

Ikoma's slashes could not reach him when he was so high in the air which meant that this was his chance.

He created small shields under his feet to give himself something to run on without using too much Trion on something like Teleport.

He had managed to escape.

* * *

 **Prototype Star:** "Does Kiyo-nii not like Ninomiya-san?"

It was hard for Murakami to tell if the girl was joking around or asking a serious question.

He looked up to see if Mei knew the answer.

Of course she did.

"She's being serious. She hasn't seen Yuki too much before the invasion so she wouldn't know. And she has never seen him around Ninomiya."

Murakami thought back and found that there was no memory of Hoshi actually seeing the two enemies interact.

Instead of saying anything he simply turned back to the screen.

 **Honest Sister:** "Someone, please tell her. I honestly don't think I can mentally take what might come after."

 **Werewolf:** "It's not gonna be me. Someone else."

 **Colors:** "No me."

 **Megane:** "Aren't you all her teammates!?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Oh! Waka-kun, you tell her! You're honestly her boyfriend! Go on, be a good boyfriend and tell her exactly what is going on!"

Murakami could feel a bit of a twitch as he saw the sniper put the word "boyfriend" in the chat twice.

 **Prototype Star:** "Waka-kun?"

 **Rokkun:** "Why do you people do this...?"

 **Rokkun:** "Well, those two... Yeah. They don't like each other much. None of us actually know why."

 **Prototype Star:** "But they seem like they would get along rather well. Has anyone tried to get them to be friends?"

 **Talented Yoke:** "No one has been stupid enough to try."

 **Honest Sister:** "Hoshi-chan, there are a few impossibilities in this world. Those two honestly getting along is one of them."

Murakami felt like he should put something to ease Hoshi when he noticed Mei starting to type on her phone.

 _If she's putting something then I'm sure there's no need for me._

He could always count on Mei to be subtle and understanding.

She always knew just what to say.

 **Wisteria:** "Hoshi, your brother is a stupid idiot that even I can't handle. Ninomiya is the same way. Both of them are worse than any child since they will never understand. We can beat them or be nice to them but that will never change the fact that rocks are much more smart than either one of them."

 _Wait, wait, wait! What!? You're suppose to be much more kind than this! Has Kiyoshi been getting to you as well!?_

Murakami started to panic at the implications that even his great and respectable senpai was getting to the point of being compared to her boyfriend.

 **Prototype Star:** "I see..."

 **Wisteria:** "Even so, that proves that they are humans and lively. They are complete enemies who would never be seen helping each other. They won't ever agree on the same thing when it comes to trivial things, but they are both reliable when they need to be."

 **#5 Mountain:** "Since we're on the topic of Yuki and the person he hates. Mei, do you know why he and Ouji aren't on good terms? The last time I saw them near each other Yuki looked ready to punch him."

 **Double-Snipe:** "Last time I saw them he did punch him."

 **Wisteria:** "Oh. Well, about those two."

* * *

He was finally free from that fight.

Thanks to the irregular Gates opening up, Yuki had manged to get away from fighting Ikoma and was now on his way to catch up with the person who looked like him.

There were a few questions he had, but the main issue of what was going on was easily solved by the snipers in the roof. Now that he knew what was the cause and how it had come about, Yuki knew what he had to do. As someone who was in the center of it all he had to take some responsibility.

That didn't mean he couldn't mess around with some of the other agents.

He found it rather fun to play this odd game of hide-and-seek with him being "it". It was rather childish, but then again he was an idiot among idiots.

 _If I keep this pace then I should reach him in no time. From the looks of things he doesn't really know how to use Teleport or he would be far away by now._

As he ran something caught his eye off to the side.

To some who weren't paying too much attention it may have seemed like a flock of birds flying into the sky or a rain of arrows being launched up towards a target. The latter wouldn't have been too far off.

Yuki knew this attack. Since he knew this attack, he could not get hit by it.

He grabbed Idōgetsu from the holster at his hip and slung it a bit in his hand until he was holding it like a javelin. With one strong throw the Trigger flew through the air at amazing speed.

As soon as the rain come upon him, he was gone.

Yuki was the user of a special kind of Trigger called Special Teleport. The user only needed to put some kind of mark on an object, and no matter where that object was, the user would be able to appear where the mark was made.

There were some ways out if this. Cut the mark, cut off that part, or just destroy it altogether. Those were some ways people had gotten around it.

This was different.

With the target being Idōgetsu, Yuki's own Trigger, there was no way for an opponent to really know what was going on without already know how Yuki fought.

This use of the Trigger was not to harm an opponent by rather to escape an oncoming attack.

That was exactly what happened.

Yuki appeared outside of the range of the attack, where he had thrown Idōgetsu. The attack had missed the target and now he was able to move more freely once again.

That was how it should have been.

"Found the fox~"

Yuki, having been in the ground to catch himself, knew the voice that spoke.

There were two people he could not stand.

One was Ninomiya Masataka.

The other...

Yuki jumped back to dodge the attack aimed for his head.

He looked up to see three people. Rather, he saw one in front of him and two from the corner of his eyes.

The game of hide-and-seek had just come to an end.

He had managed to escape capture before by keeping a good distance from Ikoma Squad and hide from nay other squads, but this time it was different. It was not just another squad or two he had to get away from.

"With this, we'll cut all the tails off of the fox. No more illusions."

Ouji Squad and Ninomiya Squad.

Those where the people who he was now facing off against.

"Hey, you should stop talking like that. He isn't some animal."

"You've seen him really fight. There's no doubt that he's worse than an animal. That plant child in Yagura is like an Innocent Monster, but this guy... He's definitely like a yokai."

Inukai, although still against Yuki right now, was defending him like the true friend he was. There was no doubt that he was doing this more as orders from his captain and Border than a sama actual person.

He could also see Kurauchi loomi at his captain with a bit of a wary look.

The fact that they had decided to talk instead of fight was so etching that interested him a bit. Although not enough to do the same.

He just had to wait.

The feeling he got when his only true enemy was nearby started to flare up, meaning he would have to make a great escape once more.

Inukai had moved over to stand near Ouji, leaving his spot vacant.

Yuki didn't take the change for that.

 _That damn airhead, Kashio and Tsuji are still out and about. The idiot isn't close enough or I would be filled with holes right now. Both Kashio and Tsuji are probably waiting it out to see how I move. Neither have snipers, so I don't have to worry about that._

He looked around again.

Ouji and Inukai in front of him, Kurauchi inching toward his blind spot to cover for Inukai moving. Kashio and Tsuji somewhere around. Ninomiya drawing closer. Those were what he gathered from looking around.

Then he heard the voice start to speak again.

"Fine, fine. As a compromise, I'll only cut off your arms so you can't through that javelin again. That way I don't have to hear these guys complain to me any more than they already-"

No one noticed it.

The three that had surrounded him moments ago didn't notice it at all.

It felt as if the attack never came and they were just imagining it.

But it was reality.

He had contradicted his inescapable situation and found a way through.

If the right and left sides were blocked, if he could not move back, up or down, then there was only one place left.

 _I'll create a path right in front of me._


	11. Uranometria: Part 3

**Chapter 11:** Uranometria: Part 3

* * *

Where the stars battle

* * *

Inukai and Ouji watched as the latter's arm flew towards his face. Ouji moved out if the way and was surpsied when a blade was going for his neck.

"Idōgetsu is not a javelin..."

The fox with a silver tongue spoke as he spun around with two blades in his grasp.

He moved back as the two long-range fighters opened fire on him.

"It's a cycling moon."

He moved forward using Teleport and stuck the end Idōgetsu in Inukai's gun. A crescent blade made of Trion sprung out from it, cutting the gun in two. The same blade was moved forward.

Inukai jumped back while shots from the other two were aimed at him.

He dodged each attack aimed at him with light feet and enough foresight to know where they would be aiming.

His Side Effect, althought less effective against long-range opponents, still came in handy at times like these. The ability to perceive each attack by noticing the moments of each people while forcing his body to to copy it was something had helped to tell which attack was coming.

Whether they knew it or not, both Ouji and Kurauchi moved a bit in very specific ways before firing. Yuki had memorized their movement and was prepared for their attack.

That was why he moved back even more, creating a gap of three houses between him and them.

"Hm?"

Noticing a bit of movement from his right, Yuki took a moment to look.

When he was focusing in the long-range attacks someone had gotten closer to hit to attack.

This person was Kashio.

Without much thought, Yuki moved back while the blade went passed him.

He spun on his heel before kicking Kashio away as if he weighed nothing at all.

"Grasshopper!"

A blue plate appeared behind Yuki as he caught himself on the building. He was psyched forward at tremendous speed towards the three he had managed to escape from.

Using the Kōgetsu he had stolen from Ouji, he stopped his flight by stabbing the blade into the side of the next building before pushing forward and move even further away.

As he crossed the gap between the next two buildings over someone had come up from below and cut him in half.

"-"

A weakling fell down in place if the Trion Body.

.

Tsuji landed in the building after having tried to cut Yuki in half.

He saw a shadow appear as something appeared above him.

He turned around and lifted his blade. An attack from Yuki right now would mean the crescent guillotine he was very fond of.

"Mangetsu!"

Tsuji was surprised when a wrecking ball was slammed onto his sword. The sword broke and Tsuji was sent crashing through the building and to the ground with amazing power.

.

Yuki didn't relent in his attack. Turning Idōgetsu back to its base form was his first move. The next one was simple.

He threw it.

He threw Idōgetsu toward Kurauchi.

The Trigger hit it's target.

With Idōgetsu impaling Kurauchi's neck, Yuki uses his Special Teleport to appear where Idōgetsu was. He grabbed the end of it as the crescent guillotine appeared. Pulling on the end, Idōgetsu cut right through the Shooter with ease.

He knew that more attacks were coming towards him so he continued to move around. Each one his steps seemed to get a bit more heavy, as if he was now actually fighting them instead of trying to escape.

Then the rain came down once more.

.

Ninomiya Masataka was an observant man. An airhead, but also observant.

This was never more true than when he was fighting against his most hated enemy. If his focus wasn't on that's fight then he knew that his head would come off in an instant.

That was why he noticed the different in the way Yuki was fighting now compared to his usual way of fighting.

There was no sneak attack, no real and literal backstabbing, not even a hint of trickery here. Each attack was a pinpoint attack that held the intend of survival in it. He never stopped for a moment and was even managing to dodge multiple long-range attacks one way or another.

Another thing was his usage of Trion.

After this whole day had been spent using Trion to fight back or escape one would think that the person would be low on Trion. Yuki was not like any other person. He was smart in his usage of his Trion and attacks.

He always chose to dodge an attack then to defense and he would make sure that he was never hit. Small attacks were best instead of launching powerful ones. That was how Yuki chose to conserve his Trion.

Right here was a different matter.

Yuki was using one thing after another to get away from an attack or to let out an attack of his own

That was when Ninomiya realized what was going on.

 _This is fight or flight. He knew that if he tries to get away again while there are so many of us the he won't get far. So he's taken it as a sign to fight and take us out. Most of us anyways._

That was a bit scary to think about.

Yuki had always kept himself in check when fighting others, or fighting around others. The truthful lie of "Tsukiko Yuki" would shatter like glass if he started swinging at everything in a fight. Being careful not to end up doing that was what he was good at.

This was also different.

He was fighting against two teams, one of which he knew well. That meant he could go wild without having to worry about anything.

Ninomiya and his team knew just how crazy Yuki can get if he starts fighting all out. Ouji knew as well, yet his team apparently did not.

 _That may be why he took those two out quickly._

With no one around to see his lie shatter apart, the person known as "Tsukiko Yuki" had not reason to hold back and keep things hidden. Now he could rampage through the area without much of a care.

 _This is getting out of hand and dangerous. If he continues on like this..._

Multiple prickly triangles made of Trion floated around Ninomiya before flying off to attack.

 _I'm going to end this right now._

* * *

Tenryū Shokubutsu was extremely happy right now, not that anyone could tell.

He had just helped one of his favorite upperclassman, his uncle had praised him and he had made a friend. All of this happened within a single day.

He had been told he can do what he wants for the day, so he decided to tell his new friend that he and his team no longer had a reason to chase after his favorite upperclassman.

 _...Kakizaki-sama...may also be happy...that he doesn't...need to chase Yuki-san...anymore..._

Kakizaki and Teruya, his friend's teammates, seemed like such nice people. It didn't seem like false kindness either, meaning Shobu was fine being around them. Although he knew that he could never actually hold up a conversation with them.

He wasn't too sure that he could hold a conversation with Tomoe either, but maybe he could say a few more words than before. That was a nice thought.

"Oh~ Shobyun~ Where are you off to at this time~? Would it be that Akasora sent you on an errand~"

Shobu felt a shiver run down his spine.

He stopped in his tracks and froze up. He had been keeping to the shadows of buildings so as not to be spotted by anyone, but it seemed that he failed.

No. It was not that he failed, rather, this person would have been able to find him either way.

A red-haired devil with massive breasts. That was who it was. She spoke as if nothing in the world mattered and she could just crush every piece of it with her bare hands.

He quickly lifted one of the devices around his neck up to his face.

It was lightly pushed down by the hands that would try and crush the world.

"Are you trying to ignore me, Shobyun~? Do you want it get crushed between my boobs~ Look, look~ I even went so far as to not curse, just for you~"

This woman scared him. So much is that he dared not speak a word while in her presence.

"Look, I just got done with a fight against Tamakoma and really need your help, okay~"

"-!"

He tried to say something, anything, but nothing came out. It was as if his voice had been taken away by this woman so that he could never speak against her.

"You'll help!? Great! I knew I could count on you!"

He said nothing.

"Hey, if it'll help, it's for my piece of crap little brother!"

"But that matter has already been solved!" is what he wanted to say. Instead he kept silent.

"On my way to find you, I ended up finding a team who was looking for that shithead brother of mine. I need you to take them out. I know you can do it! It's because you're also a member of Yagura! We're all the best at everything!"

That was a lie. It was a complete lie, but he could not say anything against it.

"They were wearing orange-"

 _...Orange..._

"Two guys and one girl-"

 _...Two males and a female..._

"And one of them was a cute little shota. I think they're called-"

 _...I don't want it to be-_

"-Kakizaki Squad."

Shobu felt himself start to shake a bit.

He grabbed his arm to steady himself so that he did not start shaking in front of this woman. He didn't not want to know the consequences if he started doing that.

"Here. I know how hard it is for you to put yourself in the mindset to fight, so I'll help you out~!"

She grabbed one of the devices around his neck and started pressing a few things on it. She ran her finger along the screen a few times before placing it back around his neck.

"Take a look at it. When you see them, look at it again and say these words... -!"

Shobu could feel it. He could feel his shaking stop and his mind get rewritten by what he saw and heard. Each thing started covering up the person who was known as "Tenryū Shokubutsu" and created a new person with no name.

No. That was wrong. It was not that it didn't have a name. Instead, it had multiple names that tried to take up the spot that covered up "Tenryū Shokubutsu" as a person.

.

While this was going on, the woman smiled a bright smile before turning around.

"Well, I'll leave them to you, Shobyun~ Or whatever you are now! Oh! How about Innocent Monster!? That really goes with you!

This woman was truly a crazed person with no remorse for a person's well being. She would even go so far as to use someone like Shobu to deal with something.

That was who Taiyōko Kushikage was.

* * *

It felt never ending.

The fight continued to drag on for what felt like hours. In reality it had been only half an hour or so, but to the ones fighting it felt much longer.

Yuki countinued to move around the battlefield as if he knew every move that was coming up right before they were made. He knew he wasn't the only one who was like this.

Ninomiya Masataka continued to fire off his shots as if he knew every move that was coming up right before they were made. He knew he wasn't the only one who was like this.

The two of them knew exactly how the other would move. Even though there were some others around to help in the fight, they couldn't do much when the threat of getting fired or cut by either side was still in the air. Overall, the battlefield was a crazy one that really involved only two people instead of two squads and a single person.

.

Yuki kept close to the ground as he ran around the area. Knowing who he was up against, he knew that making sure to get some escape area were the best plan. Without those then he would be caged in with no way out.

He had managed to take out Kurauchi, Kashio and Tsuji. All that was left was Ninomiya, Inukai and Ouji. It mostly felt like the former two who were attacking him at long range with tracking shots.

Ouji had tried to get to him to attack but he had been pushed back each time. Not only by Yuki but by the other two as well. It was hard for him to get anywhere when he knew that he could end up losing if he tried to interfere in this fight.

 _We are suppose to be working together to catch this fox, yet it feels more like they are just playing around. The attacks are serious, yet they all seem to miss. I doubt that the fox would be able to properly dodge that many shots without any help. What's more, all he's using is that irritating rod._

Ouji had been ignorant on how Idōgetsu worked since not many people had seen it in use before. There were some rumors here and there about what it could do, but Ouji never saw for himself what it was capable of.

Now the was facing off against the changing moon and the wielder of it he could see just how difficult it was to handle it all.

If he went in expecting a blade, he would get smashed.

If he went in expecting a weight, he would get cut.

If he went in expecting to get cut, he would lose his head.

If he went in expecting a crescent, he would would get pierced.

Even without using any Trion, Yuki could always attack by using Idōgetsu in its base form. What's more, his use of Teleport continued to get more scattered and random to the point of none of them being able to really tell where he was appearing and where he was disappearing.

That was why Ninomiya and Inukai continued firing off attack all around them. It was just a game of wack-a-mole at this point.

A very annoying one.

"Crap!"

At some point, while he was thinking, Ouji had lost track of their target and suffered from that moment by losing a leg. He had yet to get a single hit in while their target managed to make a fool of him.

A wild animal was making a them all seem incapable of their job.

Something he hated about this person.

This fox was nothing more than a trickster, someone who any normal person would have trouble with. The way things were done concerning him were illogical and twisted, meant only for him to understand.

A silver tongue that turns truth into lies and lies into truth. Ouji never knew what to take from the words seeping out from the fox's mouth. Each word could be changed from a truth to a lie, or vice versa.

He knew that people assumed he hated this fox because he protected the princess and the queen, but that was far from the truth. He could care less about either one of them, really. The true reason he hated the lying animal was much more simple.

 _I don't get this guy! He moves around like he wants to escape, but he stays here to fight! He says that he's innocent, but he fights back as a guilty person! It's like his whole being contradicts itself!_

There were difficult people to handle from Ninomiya to Kageura, Suzume to Kako, and even some others no one would expect. Yet none of them were as bad as this guy. They all seemed like easy to manage people when compared to him.

So if he could manage to catch this person...

 _There!_

He had finally managed to get through everything and get within striking distance. An unrelenting attack from his blade and shots were what was going to be let out.

Ouji wasted no time in firing at Yuki, alongside Ninomiya and Inukai as well. The attack was no longer a rain but a downpour of shots that would be far too difficult for anyone to escape from. No matter how fast someone moved or how far they teleported, the range of the attack was far too great for an escape.

They had finally done it.

They had managed to taro the fox in a closing cage.

Now all that was left to do was take him in so he could get judged for what he may or may not have done.

"You idiot!"

"Ouji!"

Hearing his name being called, the B-Rank captain turned just in time for a crescent guillotine to take his head off.

He saw the fox unscathed.

"How...!?"

"You didn't keep track. That airhead and Inu know me well enough that they make sure I can never get within arm's reach of them. The fact I managed to cut you meant that I already placed my mark on you. Teleporting to you was easy. So... Thanks for the escape."

All he could do now was turn into light and fly back to the base.

He had failed.

* * *

 **Wisteria:** "Ouji doesn't understand him. It's to the point of it being frustrating for him. Murakami and I have already given up on trying to understand that idiot, so we don't get too mad at him. Ninomiya accepts that he doesn't understand Yuki, so he just hates him for being himself. So the fact that he's trying to understand Yuki, someone who is far too hard to understand, is enough to get him mad."

 **#5 Mountain:** "I see... I never actually knew that. I would have to say that I'm in the same boat as you and Murakami. There are things I understand about him, but I'm not going to try and get everything."

 **Double-Snipe:** "He's someone with a changing Rhythm. According to Suzu-chan, those kinds of people are always the worst to understand."

 **Best Memory:** "Did you say I have a changing Rhythm, Suzume...?"

 **Honest Sister:** "You're honestly different. You have a 'gradually changing Rhythm.' People like Yuki-san and Kirikari have a 'spastic changing Rhythm.' They can easily change how they do things, meaning they are harder to get. You honestly give me time to understand what's going on."

 **UMA:** "What does a Rhythm look like?"

Everyone looked at the question for a good few seconds before all letting out a, "Huh... That's a really good question."

 **Colors:** "Suzume-senpai, you never described what a Rhythm actually looks like. You only say the type a person has."

 **Double-Snipe:** "She's never said anything about that kind of thing to me either. Now I'm really curious~"

 **Wisteria:** "This could be interesting."

 **Honest Sister:** "A Rhythm looks like... Well... It honestly looks like a line(?). But it also looks like waves... Maybe? I mean, people usually just move and I'm honestly like, 'I got their Rhythm.' I don't particularly 'see' anything. It's honestly weird. Damn it, Yuma-kun! Why did you honestly have to ask that!?"

 **UMA:** "I'm sorry. 三3三"

 **Honest Sister:** "Don't give me that crap!"

.

There was something about the stupidity going around in the chat that both Mei and Murakami found calming. It reminded them that they really were just humans and not anything more. Even when they needed to help Yuki out, they could still have these kinds of dumb conversations with others.

Mei smiled as she read each new message that came in.

Murakami looked up to see the beautiful smile on her face. As an underclassman, he had always respected and admired her for everything she could do. What's more, he wanted to try his best to make sure her Side Effect didn't get to her.

He was happy when he found out that she had gotten together with Yuki. While he wasn't a shipper like Suzume or some others, he could see what the two of them had. It was a bit annoying not saying anything, but he knew it wasn't his place to meddle.

Now that they were together, he knew a secret that the two of them were holding from almost everyone they knew. The only people to know of this secret were him, Akasora and Kako. Knowing that secret, and that they trusted him that much, made him feel great. It made him want nothing more than their happiness at this point.

That was why he would help the two of them out in any way he could. That included doing all of this work for them.

 _I guess I just have to suck it up and-_

"..."

He looked back at the chat to see that the stupidity had somehow escalated to something he didn't even know about.

"What is this...?"

.

 **Werewolf:** "So, anyone know how others would react to seeing someone play three Wan-chan!? in one turn then playing A Moment of Peace afterward? During MP2."

 **Talented Yoke:** "I have no idea what any of that means."

 **Kitora:** "What does any of that mean?"

 **Rokkun:** "They would call you a degenerate. Because that is certainly a degenerate thing to do. What are you even planning on using that for?"

 **Werewolf:** "LL."

 **Rokkun:** "Why do you do this!?"

 **The True Hero:** "Respect to you for playing that. And good luck."

 **Werewolf:** "It has a stupid amount of consistency, if done right."

 **Ibis:** "I am a bit lost."

 **Megane:** "I'm pretty sure it's better to just ignore it altogether."

 **Colors:** "Fact."

 **Werewolf:** "Hey! This is very important stuff!"

 **Honest Sister:** "No. It isn't."

 **Colors:** "It really isn't."

 **Sniper Detective:** "What isn't what?"

 **Colors:** "Oh no..."

 **Honest Sister:** "She's here! Yay!"

 **Prototype Star:** "Um... Who? My apologizes. I don't know everyone's names here."

 **Wisteria:** "That's Svantje, Hoshi."

 **Sniper Detective:** "Hey there~"

 **Prototype Star:** "Hello, Nikko-chan! How are you?"

 **Sniper Detective:** "Good~ But you haven't talked to me much lately~ Even a certain someone is feeling down without your company~"

 **Prototype Star:** "Ah! I'm really sorry! I have been a bit busy lately! I will take you out to eat once everything is done today!"

 **Grumpy Cat:** "Hoshi-san, there is no need to do that. She is just messing with you."

 **Prototype Star:** "Oh. Hello, Lukas-kun."

 **Megane:** "Why do I feel cheated on...?"

 **Rokkun:** "That should be my line. I'm the one going out with her."

 **Best Memory:** "You guys should watch what you say. Someone might get mad if you don't."

* * *

While some stupidity was got on at a certain mall, a B-Rank Border team walked around, looking for a cunning fox.

Unlike other teams, they were looking for him to find out what the hell was going on. They were not on his side, but they were not on Border's side. They acted as a neutral team, meaning they could switch sides at a moment's notice.

"Kanzaki-san, are you alright?"

A boy with heterochromatic eyes and hair looked over at his older teammate. He had noticed that she was wary of their surroundings and looked ready to attack.

The woman, Kanzaki Sukuu, stood tall while walking alongside her captain. She was looking around as if expecting something to randomly appear from nowhere. The Trigger in her pocket felt a bit heavier as she looked around.

"It is nothing. I am just making sure that no one around targets us."

"We aren't doing anything, so they shouldn't be targeting us. Besides, you would just cut them up right away if they were. You take the fun out of everything by almost one-shooting everything. I don't even have time to make any fun composite shots."

"Now, now, Hitsu-chan, isn't it better that we get things done quickly? Kanzaki-san is just doing as she is suppose to. Our job is to take out Neighbors, so that's what she does."

"Still. She doesn't leave any for us!"

"But-... Kanzaki-san?"

The two conversing turned back to see Kanzaki staring down an alleyway while pulling out her Trigger.

"That was why I felt this terrible feeling. A very vile person is coming this way."

"That's not nice~ C'mon, Kanzaki-chan~ I just wanna talk to you guys about something~"

The three watched as Tachikawa walked towards them in leisurely strides. From the way he walked it seemed like he wanted to show off a bit.

Kanzaki instantly went into her Trion Body and held her sword out in front of herself.

"Stay away! You and Jin are terrible!"

"Hey, he's the one who gropes you."

"You are just as bad! He at least has the courtesy of complimenting me! You it's go around and do things to annoy me! You even go so far as to lie to poor Kuruma-san! His pure soul will continue to be tainted if I do not take you out right now!"

"What!? Hey, hey, hey! Calm down now~ I'm not the one tainting him. If anyone is, it's Taichi. That kid will get him to run out of patience any time now."

"That's his patience, not his soul. You are the reason he had gone to Hogo for counseling in the first place!"

"When did he do that? What did I do to get him to do that!?"

The two skilled Kōgetsu user quickly turned to Oshiro.

The boy shrunk back a bit while holding up his hands.

"He may or may not have asked me for some help when it comes to the two of you... Um... Please leave me out of this!"

The two turned back to each other, both ready to attack.

Tachikawa grinned as he got ready for the fight over something stupid.

Kanzaki was ready to let out a flurry of Senku on the #1.

"Hold on a damn moment! Tachikawa-san, Kanzaki, what the hell is going on? We have other things to do, so can you dot this crap later!"

"No!"

Both Oshiro and Hitsugi were a bit surpsied at the sudden outburst from the woman. They could see that she was ready for a fight, so they let out simultaneous sighs before pulling out their own Triggers.

"I guess I'll stall Izumi-senpai while you two take on Tachikawa-san."

"Thanks for that. I'll make sure to pay you back later for it."

Hitsugi started walking away before jumping onto the roof of one of the nearby buildings. From there she could see Izumi and Yuiga looked at her.

Oshiro walked forward, Raygust now in hand.

Kanzaki spoke up as her captain walked towards her.

"We are now siding with Taiyōko! I'm assuming you are trying to find him."

"Right~ Yuki supposedly did something stupid, but I could care less about it."

"... You just want to fight Onii-san, don't you?"

"Yup~"

Oshiro let out another sigh. One stupid thing after another, that was how he saw everything playing out.

The only reason he went along with it all was because he already knew they would end up helping his surrogate older brother, whether they wanted to or not.

"Hogo, go find that idiot. I will deal with this one."

Oshiro looked over at Kanzaki who seemed ready to just cut the A-Rank in half. He wanted to help here here but knew that it was best to never get involved when it came to these two.

"Alright. I'll leave it to you then."

* * *

"It's really noisy around her today."

"Very true. It's a bit anooying to have so many people walking around when we're trying to get somewhere, but it's manageable. If anything, it makes things a bit lively around here."

"Not like we need that when Gates are always opening up."

"Speaking of which... Why is there one opening up right here?"

Two kids watched calmly as a Gate opened up right in front of them. The sight of the Gate itself was not unusual, rather it was where it was appearing. As well as what exactly was coming out of it.

Instead of a regular Trion Soldier coming out, a very strange creature came out. The appearance was like nothing they have ever seen. It was a pudgy bipedal thing that looked rather slick. Its color scheme was more of a gray and white color than anything. It has bright yellow eyes, and two yellow spots on either side of its face and three on either side of its thick tail which curled outward. It had two horns on top of its head that seemed to droop down instead of pointing up.

The two kids got ready to run as the creature stood up to show that it was taller than them.

The fact the thing had come from a Gate meant they needed to he wary of it or else they may get taken away or killed.

"-!"

It let out an odd sound that made it unclear if it was going to attack.

"Goo!"

It suddenly sprang up, scaring the two kids. It turned around as if looking for something before finally landing on the two of them.

They turned around to run.

"There it is... I was wondering when you would arrive..."

The two kids looked up to see a tall man with grassy-like hair standing there, looking at the creature. He looked much more intimidating than the creature that had just come out, who was now happily jumping in place.

This tall man was someone they knew so they instantly stood behind him while looking at the creature.

"Kasei, Kaede... It is fine... I had asked for some assistance... This is that assistance..."

The two kids, Kasei and Kaede, gave him a strange look. Not because of what he had said but rather...

"What even is that?"

Yes, the two of them did not question why this man had received help something coming through a Gate but rather what exactly it was.

There was something about children that made Pyrínas unable to resist answering them. That was how the two of them, along with three other children, knew about what exactly he was and where he had been created. Even after knowing all of that, those children had never once seemed frightened of him.

He could not understand emotions, seeing as how he had none, but he realized that what he should have been feeling was happiness and gratefulness. Logically speaking, he had figured out that children truly were more capable creatures than those older than them. Their honesty and kindness could never be matched by those older than them. He had made sure to remember for himself. No one else.

That was why he was able to freely answer these two kids without any hesitation.

"Its name is Kólla... It is a Trion Soldier..."

"Goo!"

"Why does it keep saying 'goo'?"

Pyrínas gave a shrug, which was another thing he had learned about after gaining his own ego.

"I do not know, but...for now, stay behind me..."

The two wondered why he had said that while putting his hand in front of them. A few seconds later they understood.

Behind Kólla, a new Gate was opening.

This time some regular-looking Trion Soldiers came out. Two Marmods to be exact.

The two kids watched from behind Pyrínas as Kólla turned around and tilted its head.

"Just watch..."

The two did as they were told and continued to look at what was going on. They had expected some crazy stuff to happen since this fight was between Trion Soldiers. Instead, what they saw was...

"Bubble?"

Kólla happily jumped up and down while waving its arms around in the air. From its arms and mouth came bubbles both big and small. The bubbles continued come out while floating towards the advancing Marmods.

Once they made contact...

"-!"

The Marmods were caught in one explosion after another. Some were small while others were a bit bigger. None of the explosions were enough to touch the buildings around them, but they were enough to take out the Marmods with ease.

"Amazing..."

Pyrínas have a nod before turning around and looking down at the two of them.

"Yes... Kólla can create bubbles of Trion... It can also make regular bubbles..."

"Is that one of your own creators' creation?"

Pyrínas gave a nod.

"You have a weird creator."

Another nod.

"Kasei!"

The three of them looked to see someone jump down from one of the building before running toward them. His green uniform, as well as his teammates, gave away what squad they were from.

The boy bent down a bit before looking over Kasei carefully.

"We saw the Gate opening and came over here. Are you okay? None of you were hurt, right?"

"Hisahisa, we're fine. We were saved by Kólla over there."

Kasei pointed to the happily jumping Trion Soldier off to the side.

Seeing the Neighbor there, Suwa Squad got ready to attack it.

"It's fine... He's just a strange animal... And exotic one..."

"Then how was it able to take out those two Marmods? There's no way that just an animal. They can't even use Triggers."

"Incorrect... Animals simply don't have the desire to have actual fights... That means it would be difficult for them to use Triggers... This is different... He is smart enough to want to protect these children as well as myself... I believe there are animals that smart here in the city..."

It was true and all of Suwa Squad knew this. There were three particular dogs in Mikado Coty that had a rather high amount of intelligence. Seeing an animal who could possible have that much intelligence would be rare, but not impossible.

What's more, they did not know what every single animal looked like. They also knew that every new type of animal could have some strange way to survive. They could not prove Pyrínas wrong.

"Alright. If you say so, big guy."

Suwa walked up and patted Pyrínas on the shoulder.

"You're usually at Yagura, aren'tcha? They're babysitter or something, right?"

"You can say that... But I have not been there this whole day... The children I watch over are currently elsewhere, meaning I can do other things..."

"Right, right. Well. If you happen to see-"

"Goo!"

Everyone there was surpsied when Hisato was suddenly lifted into the air by Kólla for a hug.

Hisato tried to get out of its grasp but found he couldn't get a good grip on any part of it. The more tried to get free the more slippery he found himself.

While he was trying to escape the hug, Kólla happily made noise while bubbles came out of its mouth and floated into the air before popping and spraying the area with water.

"Hahaha! Looks like he likes you, Hisato! You made a new buddy!"

"I can't...get free! What's with this skin!? It's so slippery!"

"Hey, Hisahisa, why don't you name him? He likes you so much that I doubt he would care about any name you give him."

"Make sure it's creative or else you'll have to think of a new one~!"

The two kids continued to tease the poor B-Rank as he was being hugged from behind by the Trion Soldier.

.

Pyrínas stood back while watching the whole scene happen. He found that there was no reason to interfere, so he simply watched.

The Trion Soldier's name was Kólla, but he was sure that was a name Hatomi had decided on instead of Futoyuki. That meant he really didn't have a name yet. Each name given to the Trion Soldiers were more like titles. The only ones that were actual names were the ones given by Futoyuki himself.

So far only the name "Pyrínas" had been given instead of a title.

Although the name would not be given by Futoyuki, this was just as good.

Deciding that he had nothing else to do here, Pyrínas got ready to take his leave.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for some people. Could you help me out, sir?"

Hearing a very young voice behind him, Pyrínas turned around and looked down to see who was speaking. If he was an actual person than he would feel shocked by who he was seeing. It was someone who had left before but now appeared to have returned.

 _A person would usually react by saying..._

The person was a small boy with golden hair under a gray trapper hat. He gave a kinda smile while wearing very neat clothing.

"You are...-"

* * *

 **Werewolf:** "My siblings senses are going off!"

 **Talented Yoke:** "What crap are you saying now?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Strange. So are mine."

 **#5 Mountain:** "Mine were going off earlier in the day. It died down quickly though."

 **Double-Snipe:** "What's going on? Are you three okay?"

 **Werewolf:** "I don't know why but I can feel like something amazing just happened and that something great also happened!"

 **Honest Sister:** "Mine honestly feels like something great is ABOUT to happen instead. I wonder what it could all mean."

 **Talented Yoke:** "It means you two are weird as hell."

 **Werewolf:** "You wouldn't understand. Think of it like taking a big dump after so long and just going to sleep afterward. Then you wake up to find that it just rained and everything feels so clean."

 **Colors:** "Classy."

 **Kitora:** "Don't say stupid stuff like that! Also, that's just gross! Why would you be holding that in for that long anyways!?"

 **Kitora:** "I was talking to the dog, not you, Kotowari-kun."

 **Talented Yoke:** "Oh. When you put it like that, it makes sense. That feeling is always great."

 **Kitora:** "Don't just go with it!"


	12. Svipul

**Chapter 12:** Svipul

* * *

Save those who have resigned themselves to fate

* * *

As an imposter continued to walk around, Mikado City was largely divided between three separate parties.

The first was the party consisting of people seeking Tsukiko Yuki.

The second was the party that was simply doing as they pleased without a care about what exactly was going on around them.

And the third...

"Dammit. Do you really want to keep me from attacking the whole time, Kanzaki-chan?"

On the eastern side of the city, by a river, Tachikawa Kei and Kanzaki Sukuu confronted each other on the house rooftops as the day continued to go into night.

Tachikawa wanted to make a one-man charge on the wanted Border agent, but Kanzaki stood in his way.

Kanzaki fought with her back to the Forbidden Zone. She would detect the initial movement of her opponent's A-Rank sword techniques.

"...!"

Whether it was a faint, brute strength, or a continuous barrage, Kanzaki focused entirely on interfering with the initial movement and continued doing only that.

Lights flew, the clashing of blades scattered through the air, and their movement made no progress.

"What a pain in the ass!"

Tachikawa gave a yell and the light and clashing sounds grew all the more intense.

"—"

But he was still stuck where he was, unable to move.

The moving light and noise simply strengthened.

.

Kanzaki focused on detecting the beginning of his speed.

Seeing through Tachikawa's attacks was the key to victory.

However, the opponent before her had moves that she had not particular seen before. And it was made all the worse because...

 _...He has more than just brute strength._

With brute strength alone, he would lose his balance and leave an opening when she deflected his attacks, but whenever her strikes stopped his Kōgetsu, he immediately regained his balance and began his next movement.

He had the brute strength, but he used a gentler strength to instantaneously launch that brute strength.

Kanzaki's usual speed was cumulative via multiple Grasshoppers, but Tachikawa's worked in a single instant. He was similar to most Attackers in that regard, but Tachikawa's current acceleration came from his natural traits instead of a Trigger. That meant it was a bit easier for him to move.

Tachikawa was entirely defined by his own overwhelming potential.

 _But,_ thought Kanzaki.

His physical abilities were his limits. He could not do anything more than his body allowed for without using a Trigger.

That meant he would not do anything unexpected right now.

He would not sacrifice a leg to launch himself forward as others may do.

 _Yes, there is nothing to fear. I only need to react to what I see before me. Nothing strange will happen. This opponent is normal. He will not do anything odd. To sum up, people like Tsukiko-dono are strange individuals who did odd things._

"...Oh?"

 _Did I make a mistake in there somewhere? Well, not that it matters,_ she thought. _Everyone from his side is weird, so it makes sense that Tsukiko-dono should fit in just fine if he too is strange. They know how to look after him. I would expect no less of those people._

As for the present...

"Damn you!"

"Damn you."

Kanzaki did not mind. She simply struck and simply pushed. She pushed back as much as her opponent pushed at her and remained at the same distance from him. Eventually, he raised the density of his attacks.

"Damn you!"

Tachikawa continued yelling.

"Damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you, damn, damn, damn, damn, you, you, you, you, damn you!"

"Damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you, damn, damn, damn, damn, you, you, you, you, damn you."

 _I really must hate losing to go along with his rapping,_ she thought. _And he must be quite diligent to bother saying it each and every time._

She wanted to nod to herself but did not find the time to do so.

 _My father would not have done that. When Mother would say the food was ready, he would ignore her and keep laughing at the television, so she made sure to always have a butcher's knife handy by the kitchen pillar._

The urge to nod came back.

 _That takes me back,_ she thought while continuing to stop her opponent with her own Kōgetsu.

She pushed, struck, and deflected.

"There!"

She stopped him. She stopped him, continued stopping him, and always stopped him.

Light flew, the noise rang out, and they both stepped forward and moved back.

They exchanged glances and words, but none of it surpassed their movements.

As time went on, they honed their movements.

This helped her know what initial movements he would use and even let her narrow it down based on the movements of his shoulders. How his shoulder muscles moved gave her a general idea of what angle the sword would come from, so she sent her Kōgetsu there.

"?"

The tactile feedback unexpectedly vanished.

Her Kōgetsu cut through empty air.

* * *

Hitsugi could feel her irritation rise as she continued a small back-and-forth with Izumi.

Asteroid, Hound, Viper, Meteora. Gimlet, Tamahawk, Salamander. Regular shots and composite shots were fired at each other with little care about their surroundings. Each attack was made in an instant, almost as if they weren't actually aiming for each other but rather just blindly shooting.

Izumi was by far the more skilled one between the two of them, which was exactly why she continued this kind of fight. For each attack he made, she tried to mirror it to shoot it down. If he moved to the right, she moved to the left. If he fired Asteroid, she fired Asteroid.

Unlike Kanzaki, who was trying to deflect attacks before they were made, Hitsugi was trying to match each attack with one of her own.

Such a simplistic strategy would not grant her victory. That was exactly why she was not aiming for victory.

 _I told him that I would just stall here, not win. If I wanted to win then I wouldn't be picking this fight by myself. Saying that I'm so arrogant as to think I could win this fight would get me a boot to the head from Kimura._

Saying something like, "Just leave it to me! I will beat the crap outta him without getting a single scratch!" would end up making her sound like more of an idiot than she already was.

That meant she had too stomp her pride right to the ground and continue firing until one of them gave out.

"Fire, fire, fire! Fire more! Keep firing! Fire, fire, fire! Don't let up the pressure now! Oooooooohhhhhhh!"

"You sound so energetic, Teikō! I guess I'll follow suit! So don't miss a beat, got it! This will be a test to see if you can keep up!"

As the two idiots continued their shooting and shouting match, they could tell what was currently going on. This whole fight was not a fight to see who could stop the other from getting to Yuki, or who could try to break through to get to Yuki. This fight was now one of pure enjoyment and excitement.

Their goals may have been set the moment they took sides, but this transcended that by going along with their idiotic ideas. This was a time where they could really go at it with each other and just fire at each other without any reserve. It was a glorious occasion that they knew they would get in trouble for later on.

The thought of having this kind of fight with another Shooter came to mind. That kind of light show would be an azmaing sight for anyone watching from a very safe distance. Yet it would also be something that only idiots like these two would be happy about having.

It was not just Izumi and Hitsugi, Kanzaki and Tachikawa seemed to also be enjoying themselves as they tried to lob each other's heads off with accurate attacks. The four battle-happy idiots moved in ways that other normally wouldn't, simply so they could enjoy their fights even more.

It was truly a wonder how these idiots managed to continue this for so long.

* * *

In order to take out this B-Rank team, "Tenryū Shokubutsu" had taken some extra measures. Instead of attacking them right away, he had waited for the sun to start going down even further until the moon could be seen in the sky.

But even so, this team continued in their search of Yuki. It seemed as though they still weren't into the whole idea, which was nice. Even so, they were still moving in a way that made them targets for opponents who were helping the A-Rank out. Or perhaps they just wanted to seem that way.

Even so, there was no problem. Without hesitation or mercy, "Tenryū Shokubutsu" made his first attack.

He remembered what he had been told to say to himself once he found them. It was forced onto him by the devil of a woman who just to happened to be Yuki's older sister.

"Doing this is absolute hell. 'I' will become fire... Rain... Wind..."

He lowered his body and tightened his arms and legs. If they were regular people then this would be considered a murder. The victims were Border agents. Border agents who were the enemies in the night.

All of that was enough for him. This attack was a hidden one that would be made while their visibility was low. An attack using two Raygust and his natural speed. It was an attack that was meant to "kill" his opponent.

It was an attack that he been taught by Tsukiko Yuki.

And now, this attack - a "murder" - was going to happen while they were unaware.

"Tenryū Shokubutsu" has defeated multiple people - probably.

"Tenryū Shokubutsu" possessed advanced knowledge on stealth tactics.

"Tenryū Shokubutsu" might be a shy person, or might be a psycho.

Even though he was defined by his unnoticeable presence and overlooked personality, the real "Tenryū Shokubutsu" was more of a concept than a person.

He could become a different person. He could have a new identity. He could be happy, sad, indifferent, proactive, negative, psychotic, a blessing, a destroyer, an idiot, the best person even, the worst person ever - or even a villain.

There was only one thing that was known for certain about "Tenryū Shokubutsu."

"Tenryū Shokubutsu" could be written to be a "killer."

The person's chest or head split open. The instant the attack connected, it ended any possible situations.

This was neither an attack by a justice-filled blade nor a series of consecutive attacks by a vengeance-filled blade - it was an attack for complete victory.

The victim defeated - they are dissected, they have their insides showing, they lose their Trion, and, _as a result_ , defeat.

First, an attack occurs, followed by defeat, and finally, the reason for it is drastically late in catching up; that's what makes it a truly terrifying attack. Counterattacking, dodging and resisting are all meaningless.

"Tenryū Shokubutsu" was certain of this.

He defeats the target. He definitely defeats his target. At the same time, he tried to take out everything in the target's body.

...If "Tenryū Shokubutsu" had made one miscalculation.

It would be that he viewed only two of them as targets. What's more, there were three of them. True, this attack was a deadly one that delivered "defeat" in a single blow. Everything had been set up to do so.

But even if he got everything ready to perfection, he was still human. He needed affection from others to keep from going crazy.

In this case, that affection had come from what he knew as "friendship," something one of them had shown to him.

Accordingly, in order to keep that affection, he could not strike the one who showed it to him, no matter how much he had been "rewritten."

And the two he had targeted - Kakizaki and Teruya, were unmistakeably friends of that person, the one who has given him the affection of "friendship" to keep him from loneliness. That meant that the person who was his "friend" would protect them. That much was certain.

.

Tomoe wasn't sure what it was but he had felt something itching at the back of his mind. He was sure that if he was in his real body he would have gotten the chills from whatever it was.

He rapidly looked around the area, unsure of where the feeling was coming from.

"What's wrong, Tomoe? You're really jumpy."

He said nothing, even as his captain spoke to him. It was unlike him not to answer Kakizaki so the other two got ready for something.

That something was unknown to them, yet it was there.

Kakizaki and Teruya couldn't tell if something was really there or not, but they could see that Tomoe clearly knew that it was there. Nothing appeared on Radar, but the boy was moving like a squirrel trying to get away.

Maybe it was because it was nighttime, or maybe because they were just in a creepy area, but Tomoe was far more alert right now than ever before.

"It's there!"

 _"Behind you guys!"_

Kakizaki and Teruya heard their teammate, as well as their Operator, shout out at the same time. They tried to react but found that their movements were nothing compared to the speed of the person going towards them.

No. To call it a person would be wrong. From their view it was more like a wild animal going in for a kill.

Do to him moving beforehand, Tomoe managed to reach that animal before the attack was complete.

He had stopped a "defeat" from happening.

Not paying too much attention to who it was, Tomoe pulled out his gun and started firing while pushing back the two blades that were being held back.

It wasn't until the animal-like person moved back and into the shadows did he notice the appearance of the attacker.

Now that he thought more about the feeling he got, the best word he could find to describe it was a simple one that everyone knew - "death".

* * *

 **Honest Sister:** "Time honestly flies by when you aren't paying much attention."

Everyone who read that simply nodded their heads.

 **The True Hero:** "Yeah. It's already nighttime."

 **Rokkun:** "And we are still here."

 **Megane:** "We did get here pretty late in the day."

 **Honest Sister:** "We got some shopping done at least. Chika-chan and I honestly got some nice clothes. I even got her a CD."

 **Ibis:** "The songs are really good."

 **Colors:** "Is it just me or are we a bit too relaxed? Shouldn't we be helping with this whole issue?"

 **Honest Sister:** "It's fine. Our jobs have been done. We can leave it up to the others. With Miwa Squad on our side, as well as some others, we should be fine. Besides, with Hogo Squad honestly being on our side, we should be good."

 **#5 Mountain:** "You want to leave things to Kanzaki."

 **Honest Sister:** "Is that a bad thing? She honestly went through the trouble of helping out Yuki-san when we were having that unofficial match with Tamakoma."

 **UMA:** "She was a difficult opponent. Her speed was hard to match and her power felt like it kept going up."

 **Prototype Star:** "She truly was a fierce person. I was amazed by her skill."

 **Grumpy Cat:** "She is considered someone who can become A-Rank. She just didn't have a team."

 **Honest Sister:** "Oh? Lu-kun is putting something into the conversation~? Is this honestly going to be a new phase for him~"

 **Grumpy Cat:** "Please, stop."

 **Colors:** "Kanzaki-san... Hogo Squad as a whole, as well as Miwa Squad. That is not bad. Both teams can deal with the worst A-Ranks, so we can leave that to them."

 **The True Hero:** "By "the worst A-Ranks" you mean..."

 **Colors:** "Personality-wise."

 **The True Hero:** "Ah! Got it."

 **Wisteria:** "She is easily someone who can keep up with Yuki. They both entered Border at the same time and ended up getting similar marks. She outclasses him in power, he beats her in planning. The one thing they are tied in is speed. Teleport, Grasshopper, natural, an extra step. Their speed is actually pretty hard to match without some kind of boost. My natural speed is actually inferior to those two."

 **Werewolf:** "I don't think I've seen you go crazy like the rest of us, Mei, but to keep up with them take a good amount of prep time. It was proven when we had that unofficial match. Chika, Hyuse and I couldn't do much against Yuki. Yuma, you and Hoshi were in a similar situation, weren't you?"

 **UMA:** "Yeah. The speed she showed was pretty crazy."

 **Talented Yoke:** "Even with those big ass boobs?"

 **Honest Sister:** "Big boobs can actually help. Use the momentum from swinging them around and you can get some honestly good results from it."

Even though they were making jokes, they all knew just how serious their conversation was. People like Toby, Yuma and Mei were saying that their speed wasn't enough to completely match that of Kanzaki or Yuki. These three were rather fast in their own right, so this was no small feat.

They had no way of knowing but it was due to that crazy speed that Yuki had managed to escape from a few battles during the day. Now he was using that speed to catch up to his imposter.

 **American Idiot:** "Wait! Did I read that right!? Crazy-Amazon Mei is outclassed in something!? Please tell me I read that wrong!"

 **Grumpy Cat:** "More trouble coming in."

 **Sniper Detective:** "Now, now. Be nice."

 **Werewolf:** "Shay, Mei isn't some crazy monster. She is still human. Of course she's not going to be perfect in everything."

 **Colors:** "Wow. The dog said something pretty smart."

 **Werewolf:** "Hey!"

 **Wisteria:** "It's not a lie. Kuga, Kazama, Minoru, Kanzaki and Yuki definitely beat me in speed. Even Suzume can keep up with me. At least when she is dancing. Toby is actually pretty close to that too. I simply know how to use my speed better. I also have my Trigger to boost my speed."

 **American Idiot:** "That's still pretty crazy."

 **Voice of Reason:** "All of you are free to ignore her. It's actually better if you do, otherwise she will just keep going on and on."

 **Colors:** "I feel like I owe you girls an apology."

 **Megane:** "I feel the same."

 **Messy Artist:** "No need~ Those three needed a reason to stay out of the fights. They were using you two as an excuse."

 **Redhead Sister:** "Don't put it like that! We just happened to get taken out!"

 **Redhead Sister:** "Oh yeah! I want a rematch, by the way! You two better not think that we were going all out in our fight!"

 **Voice of Reason:** "Stop it already. They beat us and that's that."

 **Colors:** "Sorry, Maya-san, but we did have help. Suzume-senpai and Amatori were there to help. If you want that rematch then it's fine."

 **Voice of Reason:** "You don't need to go that far. Just let her deal with the loss and get over it."

 **American Idiot:** "Eri! You're suppose to be on our side!"

 **Grumpy Cat:** "Like I said; more trouble coming in."

 **Sniper Detective:** "Now, now. Be nice."

* * *

It happened suddenly.

Kanzaki saw Kōgetsu tip gouge into empty space.

 _Strange,_ she thought. She had definitely seen his initial movement coming, so why had the expected tactile feedback been missing?

When she perceived her enemy with her whole vision, she realized something.

"You let go of Kōgetsu!?"

"Say I sacrificed it. It sounds cooler."

Sure enough, Kōgetsu was falling a step in front of Tachikawa.

The very next moment, Tachikawa grabbed Kōgetsu's errant tip.

He pulled on it, which threw her off balance.

Tachikawa moved closer to her than Kōgetsu's tip and held the base of the blade below his arm. That prevented the blade from moving much. At the same time, he kicked up his own Kōgetsu, tossing it to his opposite arm.

He grabbed it and opened his mouth at close range.

"Senku, Kōgetsu"

.

Kōgetsu's cutting power activated.

The air split, opened up, and burst along a horizontal line.

Kanzaki's split-second decision was more of a gamble than anything.

She used Grasshopper to launch herself backwards.

"...!"

She escaped by leaping as far back as she could, making her land on a boat at the edge of the river.

Tachikawa was holding the blade below his arm to avoid being cut, so this left a cut on his armpit. And since his Kōgetsu had been tossed up from below...

 _...The blade should be pointed up!_

Kanzaki's predicted path of the cutting power became a reality along a nearly horizontal line.

That cutting power swept along just above her. Kanzaki dropped her hips down, so a few slower tufts of hair were taken off.

Still, she had dodged it.

However...

 _...Oh, no!_

Tachikawa had made a quick dash to get to her, putting them on the same boat that now sailed down the river. That left them stranded there with as much room as a house roof.

"You're mine, Kanzaki!"

Tachikawa came toward her. He adjusted the position of his Kōgetsu's blade and made a horizontal cut along the air.

Kanzaki also took action. She held Kōgetsu's hilt and twisted it.

"Senku! Kōgetsu!"

"Iiidiot! I'll be there before it is fully made and it can't cut me when I'm past the blade!"

She did not care because she was not cutting her enemy.

"I am cutting the boat!"

.

Kanzaki cut the battlefield itself.

While pulling the blade back to the left, she pointed it downward and made a diagonal cut to the roof's ridge.

 _...Go!_

Immediately afterwards, the boat broke in two near the center.

She had cut the very middle of it, meaning the center part of it. The center fell straight down with the thickness of a blanket.

The boat formed a V-shape. Tachikawa was in the center so he fell down and Kanzaki was on the edge so she was lifted up.

"...!"

Kanzaki threw her weapon to the opposite side of the boat.

At the same time, she jumped. She used the rising of the boat's edge while also crouching down and straightening up again like a spring.

"-"

She took a mighty leap.

She stretched and twisted her body in midair, jumped over Tachikawa, and prepared to land on the opposite edge of the boat.

The center of the boat fell into the water below her.

She heard the splash and saw the wood spread out and flow into the water, starting from the cut she had made.

After crossing over that, she landed on the opposite end of the boat.

Her feet seemed to stab into the wood as she placed them on the diagonally tilted end of the boat and she had already turned around.

She then grabbed Kōgetsu from the air as it finished its own flight.

She looked to the enemy.

If Tachikawa attempted to go on ahead, she would attack him from behind.

He was standing on the opposite end of the collapsed and tilted boat, but...

 _...He's turned my way!?_

He was looking at her and his body was facing her as well.

He was not going to carelessly show her his back.

But he had been running forward, so would it have been possible to turn around that quickly on the tilted boat?

Kanzaki saw the answer to that question.

He had not actually turned around.

His body maintained the stance from taking a large step in the other direction, but there was something odd about his pivot leg placed toward the center of the roof.

Even its ankle was applying a powerful twist to the roof.

 _...Is he pushing down on the center of the boat!?_

Tachikawa had used his leg to help along the collapse of the boat and that was bringing the boat to a nearly vertical tilt. Also...

"I can see you just fine. That isn't up, is it?"

As he stood on the vertical boat that was now more of a wall, he bent back to look up at her.

He did everything through brute strength.

That was the proper strategy for his kind of fighting. He created a battlefield out of his own strength.

Then he sank down on the vertical boat.

He was going to move and Kanzaki sensed danger, so she held Kōgetsu in front of her.

"Senku, Kōgetsu!"

In the instant, she launched the cutting power forward, Kanzaki saw something.

It was the night sky.

.

"...!?"

She saw the clouds and the moon floating in the sky.

She wondered how her horizontal gaze could be showing her that, but then she saw a ripple in the sky.

What looked like the night sky was actually the water's surface.

 _...Is this...?_

She understood now. Her own footing had grown nearly vertical and her vision was pointed down at the water.

She also knew why: Tachikawa.

He had predicted the timing of her attack and stepped down on the center of the boat.

So when Tachikawa's side was pushed down at the center, her side also tilted.

 _...Oh, no!_

She tried to hold her ground on the steeply tilted surface, but she saw movement in the water filling her vision. Something had broken through the reflection of the night to shoot up from below.

It was the soaked center of the boat.

Tachikawa had pushed down with the foot on the edge of the roof to send the center hopping back up like a seesaw.

"...!"

Kanzaki had placed a foot forward to hold her ground, but the rising center of the boat struck it from below.

And as the V-shaped boat returned to its horizontal shape, its momentum also affected her pivot foot.

She was pushed back into a sitting position.

 _...How careless of me!_

She could breathe and, knowing only that, she moved her body forward to stand back up.

That decision saved her life.

Kōgetsu raced toward the previous position of her neck.

Tachikawa had crossed the center of the boat to reach her.

"Tch."

She heard him click his tongue, but it was the sound of the sword slicing the air that made her tremble.

But not from fear.

 _...Beautiful!_

The sword strike she heard was powerful, but it was also as straight as a taut thread.

 _Splendid,_ she thought. _He has so much strength, yet he does not use his sword roughly._

Kanzaki watched Kōgetsu draw a green arc forward and back as she jumped backwards.

She stood on the edge of the boat.

The excess force of Tachikawa sending the boat upwards kept the center from falling back down for a brief moment.

He used that loose balance to launch a second strike.

Kanzaki launched a movement of her own in response.

She kept the soles of her feet on the edge of the boat as she stood straight up and toppled backwards.

.

 _...Is she trying to fall!?_

Tachikawa saw his opponent remain entirely straight as she toppled backwards without bending back first.

He did not change the horizontal swing his right hand gave Kōgetsu.

 _...Uh, oh._

The line of Trion raced through the position his enemy's chest had been in.

It cut through empty air.

By the time he was certain he had missed, his enemy's body lay horizontal to the boat. Like the hand of a clock, she rotated around the edge of the boat on the soles of her feet. Still standing straight, she rotated down lower than the boat.

"Is that what you're after!?"

Tachikawa understood what his enemy was doing. She was not dropping down to escape.

"-"

He heard a sound below the boat's edge.

As she fell back and around, she would push herself back.

She would bounce back up.

Like playing her fall in reverse, she would rise once more.

He had just finished swinging Kōgetsu.

"Senku, Kōgetsu."

Before he could pull it back, he heard a voice.

.

Kanzaki produced the words needed to launch the cutting power.

She targeted a horizontal line along the center of her enemy's chest. She initially thought he had no way of dodging it, but...

 _...No, he does!_

She saw Tachikawa step strongly down with his right leg.

He had decided to make the center of the boat sink back down.

She was taken up and he was taken down. The rising edge of the boat tugged her upwards a bit, so Tachikawa moved below her vision as he intentionally lowered himself.

 _...Will I make it in time!?_

If her cut did not hit, he would counterattack with Kōgetsu and she would lose. No, she needed to make her next move, too.

She had to keep moving forward toward victory. She had to read what came next and continue moving.

With that in mind, she felt the cutting power being fired.

She wanted it to hit, but she also felt a desire for it to miss. She wanted the battle to continue like this forever. She knew that was a dangerous desire, but...

"!?"

A sudden light came from the east which was to her right.

 _...A blast!?_

At the same time, Tachikawa looked and shouted to the side.

"You idiot! Don't interfere!"

His shout was accompanied by a line of light shooting between her and him.

"!?"

It burst and their surroundings grew bright.

 _...This is-!?_

.

"You asshole!"

Tachikawa looked to the side. Two people could be seen on the roofs of some buildings.

One of them was Hitsugi who raised a hand to flip off her opponent and the other was scratching his head.

"Dammit, Izumi!"

"Sorry, Tachikawa-san. That was supposed to be test firing, but my timing was really bad."

Izumi stood next to a large cube of Trion.

.

 _...That almost hit!_

Kanzaki had been left in a daze by the surprise shot, but the voices she heard was enough to quickly snap her out of it.

 _...I almost got taken out just now._

She knew how bad it would be if she had gotten taken out by that shot. That would mean that Hitsugi would have to fight by herself.

"I need to be much more careful from now on."

"He can be a huge problem from a friendly fire perspective, but I can't just tell him not to fire for fun," grumbled Tachikawa. "Sorry about this. I would've won if that had continued, but that would have been an ugly way to end it. ...But now I really need to take you out."

He responded with Kōgetsu.

He did not activate it, but the strike had plenty of speed.

"You kept me from turning my back and continuing on. Allow me to do the polite thing and take you out."

.

Tachikawa pulled his right hand to the left in a horizontal line. He moved it from right to left as if pulling it in with his reversed hand.

The enemy's neck was positioned along its path. He had no real interest in the girl, but he wondered if he should have at least asked her something.

And so he made the cut in silence.

However, Kōgetsu's path suddenly changed.

Someone had struck the blade from behind. The blow had enough force to produce a noise and it knocked the blade upwards.

"-!?"

Kōgetsu's passed over his enemy's head.

He had a new opponent behind him on the right. He looked back to the north end of the roof.

"Yoneya!?"

* * *

"Is this really fine?"

A golden haired child with a gray trapper hat looked down at the man he was sitting on. He looked as if there was something on his mind. That was to be expected.

Once they had left the group from before they started on their way to a familiar branch office.

Pyrínas could only give a nod as he held the child's legs over his shoulders. He was use to giving children rides and found nothing to be wrong with it. They always seemed pleased by it so he continued to give them rides.

Being a Trion Soldier who lacked any real emotions, and who had only recently gotten his own ego, he was more logic based. That meant he was not surpsied at all when he had seen the child before.

The child on the other hand had shone brightly while smiling at him.

"If you say so."

The golden boy gave a small hum as he placed his chin on the Trion Soldier's head.

Hearing the tone he was getting, Pyrínas started to speak.

If he was a regular person he would have let out a small sigh and smiled up at the boy. Since he was not an actual person, he did no such thing. All he could think to do was speak with his usual flat tone.

"...You do not need to focus on that kind of stuff. ...What is currently going on is something for Border to figure out. ...All you need to do is continue to enjoy your childhood. ...That is why I am taking you to those two."

The golden boy tilted his head a bit as he heard the Trion Soldier speak. What he was saying made sense, and it was an obvious fact that he was not wrong here. But there was something he noticed about those words.

While the words were spoken truthfully and with a monotone voice, there was something in them that he had not heard from the non-human.

Endearment.

Pyrínas had spoken to him as if he was truly speaking to a child and not just explaining something out of a need to do so. He was telling the golden boy the truth while sounding like he cared about him.

"Hey, Pyrínas, do you mind if I ask you something?"

Pyrínas gave a small grunt.

"Why do you hang around Yagura Branch and the three of us?"

Pyrínas opened his mouth.

"Besides having to watch out for Futo."

Pyrínas gave a nod before opening his mouth again.

"...I stay at the branch because I am still a Trion Soldier and nothing more. ...I would have no place if I chose to go somewhere else. ...Tamakoma would be an option, but I believe they have their hands full. ...What's more, they are a deep part of Border while Yagura Branch is their own place."

The golden boy nodded his head a few times.

It was always nice to hear the Trion Soldier speak. His voice was rather nice, and the boy knew that Pyrínas tried not to talk that much. So when he would go into detail about things for him then it was an even better feeling.

"...As for being around you three..."

Pyrínas stopped walking for a moment while continuing to face forward.

He had no readable expression on his face yet the golden boy thought he knew how the other felt. It was easy enough when he and two other children were under his care for most of the days.

"...I suppose people would it's because I am 'happy' to be around you three."

The golden boy too felt happy with those words.


	13. Ara

**Chapter 13:** Ara

* * *

Be a stage for the elevated ones

* * *

The man wielding a spear slipped past Tachikawa's right side using the same motion that had pushed up Kōgetsu.

"Yeah, we couldn't touch the Queen so we decided to join her."

 _...What a troublesome group!_

"But this is interesting!"

Another A-Rank agent and someone who was qualified to be an A-Rank agent. He had no choice but to decide these two were too dangerous to turn his back on.

If he wanted to continue on, he had to defeat them. Izumi's unwanted favor had just about ruined his fun, but it all worked out now that he had multiple enemies. He could enjoy this without having to hold back.

"You can take a dip first!"

Yoneya was moving up alongside the samurai-like girl on the south of the boat while tossing her his spear, but Tachikawa tried to send him flying with a kick.

However, his right knee was stopped by Kanzaki. The samurai-like girl strongly deflected his leg with the bottom of her kneels acquired spear.

Still, the attack had been lacking. It had only stopped his attack and had no real force behind it.

... _Did almost losing shake her up a bit?_

She may have been trying not to think about it, but this would be the first time she had be sure that she would not get accidentally taken out. She did not know how to build up her countermeasures and tactics under those conditions, so she was hesitating.

That was why Tachikawa brought back his swung sword and prepared to take care of the samurai-like girl.

Except a spear struck back the blade he was moving back.

That was Yoneya.

Yoneya then crossed paths with the samurai-like girl.

They switched places. From Tachikawa's perspective, Yoneya was on the left and Kanzaki on the right.

Tachikawa moved Kōgetsu back to his right, and...

"I didn't really want to use this!"

He drew a sword with his left hand.

The Kanzaki and Yoneya held their spears at the ready and both stepped forward at the same moment.

"—!"

A series of rapid strikes began.

.

Lights flew and the wind blew through to bind them all together.

Yoneya dealt with the seconomy sword. While it was the same weight, it felt like it was moving a bit quicker.

Next to him, Kanzaki faced the first Kōgetsu just as before, but the possibility of losing had filled her movements with some slight hesitation.

Still, neither of them let their guard down. The two of them held their side-by-side positions and focused on their respective targets.

"Ohhh!"

After an exchange of several dozen strikes, both of the A-Rank material agents powerfully deflected Tachikawa's weapons backwards simultaneously.

The force of the intense noise caused those arms to spread to either side. The left sword had already broken and more of the first Kōgetsu's blade was damaged than not.

But just as the two from the same side made their attacks to pursue him, Tachikawa breathed in and forcibly swung his upper body backwards.

Instead of bringing his deflected arms back forward, he swung his own upper body behind him.

He moved back which returned his arms to the position needed to launch an attack.

"This is fun!"

He yelled and took action at the same moment.

He suddenly lowered his hips to a crouch.

A moment later, a speedy bullet shot in from behind and passed through the spot his head had vacated.

That was an attack from Kodera's Trigger. After both predicting it and dodging it without seeing it, Tachikawa smiled.

He quickly stood back up and changed the movement of his arms for an attack from below.

"Don't think you can get me with the same trick twice!"

A large and blunt blade flew powerfully in from directly ahead and collided with his face.

It came from Oshiro.

After Kanzaki had told him that they would handle the fight, he had monitored the state of the battle and he now stood on a roof far to the south. He used his Raygust and Thruster to launch an attack.

"In other words, it will work the first time. Keep that in mind, Narasaka."

.

The trigger had already been pulled behind Tachikawa.

By controlling his center of gravity, Narasaka Toru had landed on the slanted roof without making a noise.

"This is nothing compared to that woman."

A direct hit from point-blank range was fired into Tachikawa's back.

.

The noise throbbed in one's gut and turned the water's surface to spray.

Tachikawa's body was sent skipping along the water. He flew toward Oshiro who rested his own Kōgetsu on his shoulder before raising it in preparation.

"This is our win!"

He made a splendid swinging strike.

But the attack's intended victim flew over it.

Tachikawa had used his own Kōgetsu. The weapon had finally reached a chance, so he had stabbed it downwards.

"Not yet!"

The blade was easily used as a stepping stool.

He flew high enough into the sky to easily clear Oshiro's head and land five rooftops over.

He was alive, but he fell to one knee and noticed he had been hit after the initial shot.

He had managed to defend himself from the Ibis shot but was sent flying from the use of Raygust once more.

However...

"Ha ha! It's been a while since I took something like that!"

"I am really sorry, Tachikawa-san. We just need to win this!"

"Not a chance. I was thrown off my pace and I can't get back into it now. I've taken damage and it looked like Izumi is having trouble with Teikō and Miwa. Sorry, but I couldn't possibly keep going like this. Not even if some kid asks me. So..."

He grinned and he leaped eastward, toward the Border base.

Narasaka's eyebrows rose when he saw it.

"You're running!?"

"What!? Don't be stupid! I'm leaving because I've won! It's called quitting while you're ahead! Remember that, okay!?"

"Quitting while you're ahead?"

The human form jumping into total darkness answered their question as he disappeared into the blackness.

"Besides, I can just go after Yuki myself and finally settle a score with him!"

* * *

His first attack had missed its target, yet he did not stop.

The that could be rewritten moved around the sudden battlefield at amazing speeds, mixing in his natural speed with Triggers to increase his speed and confuse his opponents.

And yet...

 _"This is strange."_

 _"How so? Isn't this actually rather normal for someone his age?"_

 _"But he is clearly different than others his age. Not that that is a bad thing. He is just...different..."_

 _"I know what you mean. It's fine. Oh! Sorry about this, Tomoe. I'm sure you don't like this either."_

Kakizaki and Teruya, two people who should have already been taken out by the "murder" that had occurred minutes go, looked over as their teammate got in front of yet another attack, remaining unharmed in any physical form.

While not physically hurt, his mental state was a bit sporadic at the moment due to having to fight his new friend.

 _To call this a fight is wrong. It's just the kid trying to cut our heads off while Tomoe protects us. He doesn't seem to want to hurt Tomoe so this is the best we can do at the moment. Even counter attacks will be hard when even Tomoe doesn't look like he's putting his all into this._

Kakizaki found that there really was nothing they could do right now. If they moved away from the boy, "Shokubutsu" would take their heads. If they stayed right next to the boy, they would be at a stalemate until something unforeseen happened.

They were a whole team being kept at bay by a single person.

Even though it did not feel like that.

Throughout the entire fight Kakizaki had been getting a familiar feeling in each attack as they came.

It was not the same kind of feeling as when fought with Yuki, rather, it felt like there were other people around to guide this child in this fight yet not actually help him out.

He knew that now was not the time to be thinking of things like that, but he could not help it when he knew that Yuki and this child were in the same branch and on very good terms with each other.

There was where he stopped for a moment to actually register what he was thinking and just how true it was.

That moment was a mistake.

"Shokubutsu" took his chance by sliding passed Tomoe and sped toward Kakizaki, intending to decapitate him with a single hit.

For a very brief second he had to wonder why he could not bring himself to full guard against this attack.

Then he understood.

 _All I can do is pity him._

Through the combined effort of his own fighting abilities and Teruya's fast movements he had been saved from a lethal hit but received some damage.

The two moved back as Tomoe came up from behind.

"Shokubusu" slid to the side before vanishing into the shadows one more.

 _"Kakizaki-san, are you okay? You were stalling there."_

 _"Yeah..."_

Kakizaki looked over at their youngest member and started talking as if he new what was happening to them right now.

 _"Tomoe, I pity him. You really see him as a friend, even though you two formally met today. I have small moments of stalling because I pity him but you can't bring yourself to fight him right now because of what is going on and how different he is right now compared to before. Am I right?"_

 _"..."_

 _"I figured."_

Kakizaki let out a small sigh.

He understood that this was not something two kids should have to deal with. They were young, so an actual fight like this had a whole different meaning. He himself was a far cry from old yet he knew how to deal with situations like these.

If this was a B-Rank War match then there was no doubt that the two of them would be going at it with no reserve. But this was combat with a heavy purpose behind it. It was not simply because one side wanted to with, rather, it was because one side had to win.

There were those who were siding with Border in order to capture Tsuki Yuki and take out any who are on his side.

There were those who were siding with Tsukiko Yuki in order to defy Border and clear his name from any accusations.

While Kakizaki Squad was on the side of Border, Shokubutsu was on the side of Tsukiko Yuki. That fact had been kept from them the first time they had met.

Even so, it was hard to fight this single person. For Kakizaki and Teruya it was because they could not keep up with him at all. For Tomoe it was a simple matter of not wanting t fight him in the first place. Overall, they were in a terrible spot right now.

 _What makes things worse is that there really is no talking with him. He is a devoted friend and student to Tsukiko, meaning he won't be backing down any time soon. ...If at all._

This certainly made things difficult for them all.

Coming up with a plan was all they could do.

After all...

 _The setting couldn't be worse for us._

Kakizaki Squad was currently surrounded by darkness, only being illuminated by the shining moon that has barely risen above the horizon. The buildings and trees around them obscured their vision even more, even trying to figure out which building is which started to become difficult. They could not follow him by sound with the wind picking up every so often, and he was moving far too fast for their low eyesight to keep up.

This kid was certainly one of the few who was taught by the ever cunning fox who they were all looking for. These unseen tactics were a trademark for a few amount of people.

Kazama Squad specialized in stealth with their usage of Chameleon while others like Minoru were no pushovers with said Trigger. But this was different.

There were only two people who did not require the use of Chameleon to move around a battlefield without being seen by either eyesight or any sort of radar. The first was the cunning fox know as "Tsukiko Yuki" while the other was currently running around them without them noticing it.

 _The fact they don't need a Trigger to hide themselves is what is really scary. That means that they can always move around freely and without any sort of restraint. It's always great to have those kinds of people on our side - people who are perfect for stealth - but fighting against it is another issue._

If this had been a fair fight then Kakizaki Squad would have won before the sun had even started to set. The fact they were still here proved just had little they could do when at this kind of disadvantage.

 _What we need to do right now is-_

"...!?"

Kakizaki Squad was surprised when their opponent quickly jumped out from his hiding while having his backfiring them.

Kakizaki wanted to say something about this but had no time as two more people followed after the boy.

"Sorry, kid, but we need to take you out! Just stay still so we can get a good shot!"

A loud voice came from one of the two.

The two people were holding gun and firing at the boy.

The boy started moving around as if he was a water bug skating on the top of a river. His movements were smooth yet erratic. It was clear that he was unprepared for this sudden attack.

"Kakizaki Squad, help us out!"

Finally registering what was going on, Teruya rushed forward with her gun out and blade ready to strike.

Kakizaki soon followed, moving to the other side for a pincer attack.

.

From the front was Suwa and Tsutsumi from Suwa Squad while from behind was Kakizaki and Teruya from Kakizaki Squad.

Shokubutsu could feel his mentality waning a bit as he took everything in. He could see Tomoe unsure of what to really do and he could see yet another person on Radar.

The thought fit being Sasamori came to mind. It would not be unlikely since his two teammates were here as well.

It was too much.

It was far too much for someone like him to handle.

That woman had sent him onto the battlefield simply for her own pleasure and now he was in a situation that made him want to cry.

He could feel everything boring up as those words he had been told were slowly evaporating in the back of his mind.

He could no longer keep the mindset of a murderer and instead started going back to the timid persona other knew as "Shobu." While that was great for general purposes, he knew he would be taken out in an instant since he was hesitating.

"..."

"... ..."

"...!"

He wanted to yell out. To let them all know that he did not want to fight. He wanted to stop and apologize to them all. To see if there was any possibility of salvaging a friendship with Tomoe.

"-!"

Nothing came out.

Because he was no longer a "person" and instead was the persona of "Shobu" he could not say anything. If he were to say anything he he would be in trouble. He would be punished.

 _"By who?"_

With a movement that he had only seen before from his mentor, Shobu dodged each attack through the use of Teleport and natural mobility.

 _"Why would you get punished for speaking? I mean, you don't have to speak, but there is no way you would get punished for something like that."_

 _"Shobu, Your voice is really quiet. But it's smooth and nice. Your still young so use that nice voice. Even if it's to just say 'Trigger On,' you should say something."_

 _"Shokubutsu... You can talk you know... Ah! I mean to me! What I meant to say was that you can talk to me about anything. If you need advice, just want to say something or just want to randomly blurt something out... Just go ahead and say it."_

He could remember the voices of people he cared about. His mentor, his uncle, the boy from Suwa Squad who had decided become his friend. He could remember them all telling him to speak up bit.

They all wanted him to speak. They all enjoyed hearing his voice. That should have been enough of a reason t speak.

He ha spoken during the day, talking to Kakizaki Squad while they were on their search.

What happened after that that caused him to go mute once more?

"..."

The answer was obvious.

That woman.

The woman with flaming red hair had seen him and spoken to him. That was enough to terrify him to the point of going mute. He did not want to get in trouble with her.

He did not want her punishment.

But she was not around.

That meant he was free to speak. He was free to tell everyone that he did not want to fight and that he was sorry for fighting them in the first place.

"...Ah...!"

That was exactly what he was going to do.

For this single moment he would block out that evil woman and only focus on what was going on.

He even went so far as to turn off his Trigger.

It was a mistake.

When he looked back up he saw Suwa Squad's Suwa and Tsutsumi already firing their guns and Kakizaki Squad's Kakizaki and Teruya rushing forward.

He could see their shocked expressions as they moved forward with their attacks.

"!"

He tried to move out of the way.

He knew that they could no longer stop their attacks and so tried to get away from those attacks.

Without his Trigger he was not fast enough.

"..."

He closed his eyes and waited for the attacks.

He knew that these attacks would not leave anything more than a easy bruise or maybe even a scar but he knew that he would be in terrible pain once it was finished.

"Goo! Goo goo!"

Something strange happened.

Something strange appeared.

Something great happened.

The shot that had been fired at him from the two Gunner Triggers did not hit their mark due to having made contact with bubbles that had floated in their way.

The two blades that had been going for his body and neck were no longer moving. They had be halted by two other blades. The first was from another person wearing green and the second was by the third person wearing orange.

"..."

"What are you doing? You really could have gotten hurt there! It's a good thing that I had already Bubbles prepare a large bubble to put you in!"

Sasamori let out. small breath as Teruya backed up so that the two of them were now just standing next to each other.

He walked up to Shobu before gently placing his hands on the younger one's shoulders.

Shobu instinctively flinched at the contact.

Sasamori carefully turned him to make that there were no injuries on him.

The others could not help but view this as an older brother looking out for his younger brother.

"Hey, kid, what was that all about? Don't just turn your Trigger off like that. If we ended up hurting you, even on accident, Hisato wouldn't let us hear the end of it. Even more so from this crazies at Yagura."

Suwa spoke casually as he and Tsutsumi walked closer, guns now put away and shoulders relaxed.

There was a moment of silence before Shobu opened his mouth. A voice came out... Just not from him.

"Tenryū! That was dangerous! Why would you do something like that in the middle of a fight?! What if we hadn't gotten to you? Or what if we were a step behind? You could have really gotten hurt there! That wouldn't be good for anyone - more so for you since it's your body."

Shobu could only stare at the ground as he continued to get scolded by the boy his age.

He knew that what he had done was completely reckless and made it seem that he was getting as bad as those in his branch, but he also knew that there really was no other way to get everyone's attention since it was the middle of a battle. And yet he felt happy.

He was happy to know that Tomoe and Sasamori had jumped in front of the attacks to defend him. Attacks that were let out by their own teammates. He understood that it was more so for the fact that they did not want people in real bodies to get hurt. He knew that it was because of their position as Border agents that they defended him instead of caring.

 _...All I can do...is to fade away... ...To protect someone...like me... ...It's better to...just focus on themselves... ...Still... ...They are good...agents..._

"-"

Something was finally about to come out of his mouth when he was once again interrupted by Tomoe. This time his voice was one of worry instead of scolding.

"What are you thinking?"

Shobu was a bit surprised at the question.

It clearly came out of nowhere and was unexpected. Even the others around them seemed to be wondering where this came from. All of them except Sasamori, who was now being hugged from behind by the strange creature with them.

"...Hm...?"

Tomoe, finally realizing what he had said, scratched his head a bit.

"You look like you really want to say something. I just want to know what you have to say. You speak your mind well enough..."

"...Oh... ...It is just... ...The fight...and Taiyōko Kushikage-sama... ...Um... ...Yuki-san... ...You are...chasing the wrong...Yuki-san..."

"Then who are we suppose to be chasing? There's only one guy like him around after all."

Shobu lightly shook his head.

"...No... ...There is...an imposter... ...I was going to...tell Tomoe...and his team... ...I met...Taiyōko Kushikage-sama... ...I was...sent to attack...Kakizaki Squad... ...I'm sorry..."

Tomoe gently patted Shobu's shoulder at hearing this. He knew that something must have happened for other boy to suddenly go from telling the, something important to attacking them. He did not ask about it since he knew just how shy his friend was.

It was reassuring that he had been forced to attack them instead of doing so willingly. What was more was that they now knew that there truly was something going on with this whole incident.

"Can you tell us what's going on as we find this imposter?"

With a small smile, Shobu nodded towards his new friend.

* * *

"This is really interesting. Whoever is doing this has some tact after all."

Three member of Bakuto Squad quickly turned their heads once they heard their captain speak with a normal tone and actual words instead of his usual chopped up sentences.

Bakuto Denji himself looked up at the ceiling with a slight grin.

Being the closest to him, Yamamoto Yorushi pushed up his glasses and spoke up for the rest of them.

"What is so interesting? The fact that we aren't going out to help any side? Or maybe the fact you have been lazing around all day instead of doing literally anything?"

"Neither. I'm kinda shocked ya haven't figured it out yet, Yoru."

"Hm? Figured what out?"

"What the imposter is doin' to everyone. Ya know, the one pretendin' ta be that faker."

"What do you mean? I already know that the person is an imposter, but what do you mean-"

"Wait! It isn't the real Tsukiko doing it!?"

The two males ignored their teammate and continued on with their conversation.

Denji jumped up without any warning. His grin never left, even as he said what they did not want to hear.

"It's really simple. Divide us, tear us apart. That'll sever our trust and that'll strangle our hearts. They want to plant the seeds of doubt so that we'll turn on each other. Well... For everyone else. They're all idiots with no actual thoughts. On th' 'th'e h'nd, we're sm'rt 'nough ta know wha's goin' 'n."

When they heard their captain start to speak with his usual chopped up sentences they knew that it was time for be an ass and do something others would not like.

That was exactly what he would do.

"Le's ge' goin'. W're g'nna h've s'me f'n~ M'ght 's w'll p'ck s'me f'gh's~"

With those words lingering in the air Denji took his leave.

The rest of Bakuto Squad stayed their with varying expressions.

Yorushi was the first to react by pushing his glasses up with a pissed off glare. He looked towards and door and held up his hand to the other two in the room.

There was no doubt that all that mattered to their captain was doing anything and everything the way he wanted. There was no reason for him to go out when he knew that others would have figured it out by now.

 _He just wants to pick a fight with others, using this whole thing as an excuse. No matter who he comes across, he can just say he's on the opposite side. He's really troublesome when you think about it. Actually, even if you don't think about, he's troublesome._

Yorushi made his way towards the door as well, speaking while he was doing so.

"You two can just do whatever you want. I'm going to follow that guy to make sure he doesn't destroy the status quo. Just make sure you don't come across anyone so that I don't have to reprehend you as well."

* * *

Battles continue on and battles ended all around Mikado City. The day had gone by, allowing for the night to take over and cover the city in a blanket of darkness. Lights shone brightly in the darkness and illuminated different areas.

The nightlife was almost as busy as the day time.

Proof of this was the two girls walking around an illuminated street with the only sounds around being their voices and some small insects.

"Hey, hey, hey! Do you think we'll be able to find anyone? Huh? Do you? It would seriously be nice to find someone to talk to at night! Then we can ask them where Yuki-chan is!"

Misaki Mitsubachi bounced in place while repeating everything she said in her mind.

She had times when she forgot that her friend was not so good with Japanese just yet and so went with using her Side Effect to understand.

There was just one issue.

"Urg! I should really learn German! That way I can seriously understand you better! It's seriously my fault, I suppose."

The two continued to walk along the street, looking out for anyone particular.

After Yuki had left the Misaki residence the two had decided to go out in search for a way to help the guy. He had not asked for their help since he did not want to bring children into his fights and did not want to get in trouble with their caretakers or siblings. That did not stop them from going out by themselves to help.

This way Yuki would not get in trouble with others and they could still be helpful.

All that was left for them to do was look around to anything that may help him out. It may have been late and they should have already been at home but that meant nothing to them when they knew that something was going on.

That was why they stopped the moment they heard sound of voices not too far off. The voices did not mean much but they had said some things that lead to the conclusion that they were Border agents.

This was what they were looking for. The clue they needed to find out what was going on and how they could help.

Mitsubachi was quick to grab Michelle's hand and run towards the voices.

They stopped next to a building and saw who exactly had been speaking.

Mitsubachi was the first one to move forward.

"Sho-"

"It's good that they didn't have to continue that fight."

The two girls froze when they heard a voice right next to them. It was actually pretty amazing that they had not noticed the two boys next to them, also hiding behind a building.

The two boys turned to them as well.

The four of them stared at each other for a few seconds before they were yelled at by the group a few feet away.

"Kasei!? Why did you two follow us!?"

"...You two... ...Why are...you two...here...?"

The four of them slowly walked out from behind the building and towards the group. They all tried to make little to no eye contact with the group, even as the older ones just grinned.

Sasamori was the one to speak first. He spoke directly to one of the boys before putting his attention to all of them.

"We told you two to go home. Your siblings would have our heads if something happened to you two."

"We wanted to see up close a fight between agents. We were at a safe enough distance so that we wouldn't be in the way. That kid over there even saw us when he was moving around and he didn't do or say anything."

All attention turned to Shobu, who now had Michelle and Mitsubachi standing next to him.

He looked at the ground and said nothing. After a few seconds he took a glance up and opened his mouth a bit.

"...I was...unsure...about what to...do... ...I am...really sorry..."

"...It also falls on me for not taking them home myself. ...My apologizes."

The whole group saw Pyrínas walk out from the shadows. He moved naturally and with enough purpose that it caused Tomoe to take a small step back. Even Sasamori and Kakizaki, people who have at least met him before, felt pressure coming from this man.

That was when they all noticed something odd about him.

A lump seemed to be pulsing from under his American-style bomber jacket. It moved around a bit while he stood absolutely still in front of them.

No one knew what to do about this. It was made even more difficult when a Trion Soldier continued to hug Sasamori and Tomoe was trying not to hide behind Shobu. It was an odd scene that none of them would have expected.

What finally broke through the silence was a single girl's voice.

"Stepney!"

The lump under the jacket fell to the ground, showing that it was a boy with golden hair and a familiar trapper hat on. He stood there before getting tackled by the two girls, forcing Pyrínas to be a sort of wall that made sure they did not fall.

"...To explain why I am back here... ...I had been looking for these two. ...They were not at the Yagura Branch and were not at the Misaki residence. ...I had to follow something to find them. ...Once I saw that Kasei and Kaede were here I figured I would just show myself and take them home. ...As well as these three."

"We did ask for any of that information..." Suwa said, shaking his head. "Still, go ahead and take these guys back so we don't have to worry about them. They shouldn't be out this late by themselves, especially when we have something to do."

"...Right. ...We will be leaving then. ...Shokubutsu, will you be coming along with us?"

"...No... ...I am...going to stay and...help Yuki-san..."

Pyrínas gave a nod before picking up both Kasei and Kaede and placing them over his shoulders. The two of them struggled to get free, claiming that he could walk on their own. They were ignored by the Autonomous Trion Soldier who now had Mitsubachi clinging to his neck and both Michelle and Stepney with their arms around his waist, legs around his own.

The Border agents could not help by be amused at how well he was taking all of this and how he looked like some strange creature now.

"Goo!"

Speaking of strange creatures, the other Trion Soldier there had made the decision to go along with Pyrínas. That had freed up Sasamori's body, something he was extremely grateful for.

None of them could find any words to say as they saw the strange creature and the other strange creature walk away as if nothing happened.

That was why they simple turned to each other before leaving themselves.

.

"Are you sure that was fine? It was rather sudden and you didn't even give them any time to ask anything. Others may see that as rude, so be careful of next time."

Pyrínas gave a nod to Kasei, showing that he heard it.

Kaede let out a small sigh as he lay slumped over Pyrínas' shoulder.

"By the way, are these three the kids you mentioned to us before? I'm guessing so since they are really attached to you. Literally and metaphorically."

Pyrínas nodded once more.

"Alright then. While we are asking you questions... Is it fine to leave him there? Isn't there something you need to do about that issue? I believe that these children are ready to go up to him and speak to him."

"...We will keep going. ...My objective is to get you kids home and away from this fighting. ...That person pretending to be Yuki is of no concern to me. ...I will let others know once I can. Until then, I will focus only on taking care of you children. ...Besides... ...We are not the only ones who have seen that person. ...We will leave it up to them."

The two boys on his shoulder said nothing to this. They trusted Pyrínas enough to go with what he said. They understood that there really would be no point in doing something when they were around and when he was not even a Border agent to begin with.

The Trion Soldier with them would be able to do something but that may cause some issues later on.

This really was the best solution for them right now.

That was why they switched topics.

"Hey, Pyrínas, if we were to join Border and make a team, would you be a part of it?"

"...No."

"Thought so. You won't join Border ever, right? It's because of your standing as a Trion Soldier and your affiliation with those Wanderer guys. That sucks. With someone like you around I'm sure we would get the job done easily enough."

"...No. ...Those are not the reasons. ...It is because I am only concerned with watching over you children. ...I don't have emotions or even know what a person should act like. ...That is why I know that I don't care about what happens in Border or this world as a whole. ...Until I can learn that much from you all, I will continue to simply keep watch over you guys and the Yagura Branch."

"Hey, hey, hey! Why don't you guys ask Mitsu and her friends!? The three of us would seriously be perfect teammates!"

"Teams consist of three to four Combatants. The five of us would be too much. Besides, we are closer to the age of joining than you three. I'm sure you guys just want to keep playing around."

"That's seriously not true! Michelle has crazy Trion and we want to learn from Nee-chan and Tobio-chan! Besides, age seriously doesn't matter! That kid with Sho-chan is really young too! So bleh!"

"Why you...! That doesn't mean anything! Our siblings are also-"

"Misaki Suzumebachi and Awdry Toby are in the top tier right now. Nii-san is also up there. No offense, Kaede-kun, but your sister is the only one who isn't in the top tier right now. If those two learn from their siblings then they might get somewhere."

"Ha! See! Mitsu and Step have seriously awesome siblings! Kaede-chan is just being a jerk~! Nyahahahahaha!"

"I'm sorry about Mitsu. She is very excitable."

"No no, it's fine. Kaede-kun may have some of his sister's craziness in him."

Pyrínas listened to the back-and-forth between each of them. The only times he spoke up was when Stepney was unable to translate what Michelle was saying. He would also be repeating what they were saying so that she also understood it all.

Next to them the Trion Soldier that had been named Bubbles and had been following them continued to blow bubbles into the air. Each one popped rather quickly but they sprayed them all in a beautiful way.

What none of the kids knew was that the bubbles were being popped by an outside force that was targeting them.

* * *

A boy with a sickly complexion and hair covering his left eye continued to look at the small group of children with mild irritation. It showed in his single onyx eye as he tried to steady his shot on them.

Each time he tried to fire at them a bubble would get in his way and block the attack.

"Damnit! Those stupid bubbles keep messing me up! I'm not even aiming for the kids! Just that guy! I bet Yuki-san would have just cut off his head with no problem. It just shows that I have a very long way to go before catching up to him."

 _"You are stupid. He's leagues above someone like you. That's why you should just follow my lead and just get as close as possible. Trying to be like them is too much of a hassle."_

The boy cocked his tongue as he turned away.

He could feel the weight of a blade at his side but never once went for it.

Giving up on hitting the large man with children literally hanging off of him was all he could do right now. There was no chance that he would hit and he did not want to bring out a blade near children.

That was why he started to walk away with a sour expression.

 _Well, it's not like I don't have other things to do. I still need to go around and get others to take these Triggers. Yuki-san tries so hard to keep this city safe that I bet he hardly gets any time off. Arashiyama Squad are the famous ones while he is stuck being "that new guy from that new branch". It's terrible! Yuki-san should be in the spotlight! That's why I am Yuki-san! I have to be! To make sure he gets recognized!_

"Yuki" looked up with a determined expression. His fist was clenched and a fire burned in his eye.

And yet...

"!"

"Yuki" was quick to jump back as something hit the ground, breaking it a little bit.

He pulled out the blade at his hip while facing forward.

"So stupid!"

Someone came out from a nearby building while seeming to throw something at him.

A man with spiky black hair got in close with a sneer on his face.

He was the captain of Kageure Squad.

"The real deal would look at all his surroundings instead of looking forward! You're also just standing there like an idiot!"

"Yuki" moved back once more.

He was irritated at what he heard. This man had just said that he did things wrong while being "Tsukiko Yuki". Something like that was more than just an insult.

It was enough reason for "Yuki" ready himself once more. This time his body was closer to the ground.

"Kageura Squad is ready to get rid of this fucking imposter!"


	14. Uranometria: Part 4

**Chapter 14:** Uranometria: Part 4

* * *

Where the stars converge

* * *

 **Wisteria:** "Alright, it's about time we got to finishing things up. Has everyone gotten done what they want? If not, too bad. You were all given enough time."

 **Honest Sister:** "We're good over here. Chika-chan and I just honestly met up with Hoshi-chan and the others."

 **Werewolf:** "Same. Just got to Take and Osamu. We're ready to go whenever you guys are."

 **Grumpy Cat:** "I've already sent the location coordinates out. There are some people already going over there. Although some of them don't seem to be going to help out."

 **Wisteria:** "That's fine. I've already planned for that. We'll leave it up to some others."

 **American Idiot:** "Of course you planned for it."

 **#5 Mountain:** "We'll go ahead of you guys and make sure everything is good to go. You can just leave it to us."

 **Kitora:** "So that means don't go messing anything up until we get everything ready."

 **Werewolf:** "That was directed at me, wasn't it? So rude! That tsundere attitude won't be getting you anywhere with the guys."

 **Kitora:** "That has nothing to do with it!"

 **Wisteria:** "You two can continue this later. I'll go over what is currently going on before we go. That way none of you can complain about not knowing something. So pay attention."

 **Wisteria:** "I've been informed that Miwa Squad and Hogo squad had been facing off against Tachikawa Squad until moments ago. They managed to take out Izumi but Tachikawa had gotten away. He is on his way to get to Yuki. That is due to Lukas sending out a mass-message on where Yuki is. I told him to do so, so no one say anything to him about. Bring your complaints to me afterwards."

 **Talented Yoke:** "Pretty sure none of us are dumb enough to tell you any complaints we have."

 **Werewolf:** "Wanna bet?"

 **Wisteria:** "Along with that message, Hikari told us that Kageura Squad has encountered the imposter who is currently posing as Yuki. It appears that he is not so skilled. At least compared to the original. That being said, there are those like Tachikawa who are going after Yuki instead of the imposter. Most likely to use this whole thing as an excuse to fight him."

 **Honest Sister:** "You're going to honestly smack the crap out of them later, right?"

 **American Idiot:** "Of course she is. They're being dumb by using this kind of thing as an excuse when they can just ask Yuki to fight afterwards."

 **Sniper Detective:** "But not everyone is using it as an excuse. Some others are likely just doing as an order? Someone should have already told the directors about the imposter. So why are we still ordered to go after Yuki himself? It's probably because some of the directors are not convinced that there is an imposter. That means they will still be following the initial orders to take him in."

 **Voice of Reason:** "It makes sense. While we all may be fine with going against orders like these for one reason or another, there are teams who will still be following those same orders out of a sense of duty or just because that is what they do."

 **Double-Sniper:** "Pretty sure teams like Ninomiya and Bakuto are just doing it to go against Yuki-san. Can they be counted as either one of the options?"

 **Wisteria:** "No. Those guys will get a beating from me. Right along Yuki himself."

 **Honest Sister:** "So honestly harsh."

 **Werewolf:** "So harsh."

 **Color:** "So harsh."

 **Prototype Star:** "So loving."

 **Talented Yoke:** "You're definitely weird if you think that's loving!"

 **Rokkun:** "She just sees a better side of this!"

 **The True Hero:** "Shouldn't we let Takaoto-san continue now? I'm sure there will be issues if we don't."

 **Wisteria:** "Thank you."

 **Double-Snipe:** "He saves the day again!"

 **Wisteria:** "What needs to be done is very simple. Some of us will be going to to intercept those who are continuing to hunt down Yuki. Others will be going to help Kageura Squad to take down this imposter. Arashiyama Squad will being doing their best to maintain order in the city. Today has made things a bit strange for the citizens and they need reassurance that there is nothing wrong. It did not help to see lasers flying, Border agents running on rooftops while teleporting all over the place and a sudden performance in the middle of a park that made even the ground shake a bit."

 **Colors:** "...Sorry."

 **Werewolf:** "Was still fun."

 **Honest Sister:** "I regret nothing!"

 **Kitora:** "At least feel a bit sorry!"

 **Megane:** "Should we say something about her also being involved...?"

 **Kitora:** "Mikumo-kun!"

 **Wisteria:** "Back on topic."

 **Wisteria:** "While it is usually my duty to take care of that idiot, I will be needing assistance. Just in case. My own team, minus Suzume, will be going with me. Mikumo and Katori squad will be dealing with the ones who will be going after Yuki. Svantje, I want you to help out Arashiyama Squad with calming the city down."

 **Megane:** "Alright."

 **Katori:** "Fine."

 **Sniper Detective:** "Got it!"

 **Honest Sister:** "Wait! Why am I honestly being left out!?"

 **Wisteria:** "I have a special job for you. Come over here and I'll tell you more about it. It really is something that I need you specifically to do."

 **UMA:** "What is Murakami-senpai going to do?"

 **#5 Mountain:** "He's with you, right Mei?"

 **Wisteria:** "No. He left when he heard that Kageura Squad found the imposter."

 **Honest Sister:** "I already honestly got pictures of him. That's fine."

 **Redhead Sister:** "You really are the worst, aren't you?"

* * *

"It seems like the others are having a pretty harsh time."

Murakami spoke to Yuki who ran ahead of him, but he did not reply.

The Attacker spoke in order to distract them, but the All-Rounder did not play along. He then let out a voice and covered for the All-Rounder.

"-!"

Yuki fired a few shots to the right of an upcoming intersection.

The shots exploded and the C-Rank agents hiding behind the corner prepared their makeshift shields from the buildings, but the two had already passed the intersection by that time. Shots were fired and an occasional Scorpion blade flew their way, but they accelerated and avoided them.

The All-Rounder had straps around his neck and on either shoulder. They were used by him to tell which direction the wind blew or for some special maneuvers that he could manage. They were loose and swayed with every movements, but certain parts of them were tore off or had holes lining them.

Nevertheless, the All-Rounder continued onwards and suddenly spoke.

"Kō, we are coming up on an upwards slope."

"Right. I can see the base up ahead. You should be happy."

Murakami added an extra step to accelerate and closed his friend's slight lead.

"But this has gone surprisingly smoothly considering-..."

He trailed off when he noticed something odd. The straps wrapped around Yuki's shoulders and neck were swaying in an odd way. They were used to determine the way the wind was blowing so it meant that the wind was blowing in an odd way as well. That proved something was coming. There did not appear to be anything around, but if he was under some kind of attack...

"Yuki! That pillar!"

Yuki understood what his tone and words meant.

The two of them charged below the roof of an arcade on the shopping district to the right.

"!?"

The stone and wood roof was destroyed by some kind of overhead attack, but the two of them did not fall back. They continued on through the arcade and up the shallow slope. As they did, some kind of power struck the arcade roof, balconies, and terraces much like footsteps.

"What is this!?" shouted Yuki. "It's just like something from a side-scrolling action game!"

"If so, we can kill the pike units by jumping on top of them. No, this is _that_."

"Oh, of course. _That_! ...I'm sorry. I got carried away. What is _that_?"

"As long as you understand," said Murakami as his hand shot out among the overhead destruction.

He found what he was looking for, accelerated with his feet, and held up a broken Trion arrow.

"This looks like it is a combination attack from Kido's Black Trigger gravity attack and Shingai's special Trigger." He sighed while racing onward. "That was a close one. They increased the overall gravity gradually enough that I mistook it for something else. If I hadn't seen your straps, I might not have caught on."

"Then are they behind this attack that's pursuing us?"

"Yeah. We're running below the arcade, so they switched to putting Kido's gravity on the arrows fired by Shingai. The two of them must be above us, so you're going to owe me one."

"Eh?"

Murakami's words confused Yuki, but he only smiled a bit.

"Most likely, Kido's gravity will return to us once we leave the arcade and he'll try to crush us. But I'll forcibly keep most of it from reaching you, so you just keep running. Got it? I'll take care of things here. I won't be satisfied until I show those two what I can do anyway."

"Are you sure you can handle both of them at once?"

"You just have to carry out the role I've given you." He took a breath. "But this is for my own sake. Everyone in our class really cares about each other, so I'm sure they'll all praise me for this. ...And from time to time, that's not too bad."

"Kō...," muttered Yuki. "Back in the start of the school year when we had never even looked each other in the eye, you suddenly looked at me and said, 'You really are troublesome. Seriously, stop doing this already.' Back then, I thought you would be a lifelong enemy. To make a long story short, I figured you were an asshole. I didn't think you would end up being my best friend."

"Oh, sorry. I don't remember that at all. But I do remember I ended up next to you after the seat change in the second term. I didn't know who you were, so I avoided speaking to you. That was pretty painful."

"Y-you're absolutely horrible! Don't think you can get away with that kind of excuse with your Side Effect!"

"You like getting worked up over nothing, don't you?"

"And whose fault is that!?"

As they spoke, the roof overhead crumbled and the two of them continued forward.

They had almost reached the top of the slope where a plaza created a break in the arcade.

It was the perfect place to bring the gravity down on them.

"That's where the enemy plans to get us, so let's use it to our advantage!"

.

Kido Cody and Shingai Ite stood in the plaza atop the hill. As they monitored the enemy's approach, they saw two figures charge out from under the roof of the left arcade.

"Kido! Crush them!"

"Got it."

Cody lifted the black blade in his hand and the surrounding landscape grew slightly distorted.

He was adding weight to everything.

His aim was to crush the two who had just climbed the slope. As they ran from sloped to level land, their postures and their running both changed. The great weight would disturb their running and cause them to collapse.

To ensure that happened, Cody lifted the blade up even further.

And...

"—!"

The two enemies arrived and they were both colored in darker colors.

One was an All-Rounder, the other had a large green shield, and they both wore their own Border uniforms.

The weight pressed down on them, but the one with the shield opened his mouth.

"Go!"

Shingai watched as the All-Rounder ran through the plaza without anything weighing him down.

 _...What!?_

Wondering how, Shingai looked closely and saw through the trick.

The Attacker remained on the other side of the All-Rounder agent.

He was taking all the weight. Cody's weight could not be rejected even if it was understood. The target's waist would drop, their body would creak, their feet would stick to the ground, and their speed would drop.

However, he used his arms to hold up an object: his Raygust.

His whole arm and the shield groaned, shook, and trembled in the gravity, but it remained over the All-Rounder's head.

Cody's added weight came from above. If something cut off its path, it would hit that obstruction and not reach what lay below.

"You are using your shield to create a protective roof over the ninja!?"

He could not do so forever because he would eventually be crushed.

But he clenched his teeth and supported the All-Rounder despite being on the verge of collapse.

"Kh!"

He was successfully protecting his best friend from Cody's weight.

"How forceful!"

.

"I know," muttered Murakami behind his clenched teeth.

What was this? He groaned, raised his eyebrows, took a bracing stance, and practically crawled along the ground rather than running.

 _...How pathetic. It's disgraceful and nothing about it is worth seeing. And what's with this situation? It makes me think of friendship, trust, solidarity, and other words I wouldn't associate with Kiyoshi."_

"But this is the best way to get back at those two!"

 _He really is rubbing off on me. I don't know why but I really want some kind of win against these two. After all, I've experienced this weight before and he hasn't. He's a weight virgin, so a weight adult like myself needs to give him a helping hand. ...Honestly, what a terrible role._

He smiled even more.

 _But Kiyoshi, there's something else I remember. It's true that you were cautious around me. I know that. It made things easier for me, so I was actually thankful. But whenever we would gather for the school festival or anything else, you may have seen it as your duty, but you would never leave me out when you went to buy things for everyone. It was probably annoying, but there are times when I need a break or something to drink and I don't want to be left out. Even I can be selfish, so that's just how I feel._

 _But you never omitted me._

 _I'm not the type to forget that. Rather, I can't forget it._

 _I'll pay you back five times over, so make sure to pay me back the excess four times later. Yes, up until now was about 12 years, so four times that would be 48 years. All you have to do is go along with my selfish whims and not leave me out for that long._

"Kh!"

 _Go. The arcade across the plaza is only a few more steps. Is it twenty more? That's a long way. Couldn't it just be ten? Is this city trying to mock me here? Ahh, I can't lift my legs anymore. But I still have nineteen, eighteen more... Raygust is heavy too! I'll complain this once and say this sucks! Seventeen, sixteen. Yes, fifteen, when I get back, fourteen, I'll make him buy me food and then get to bed! Thirteen, twelve, eleven... Damn! I can't stand straight! Ten... I don't have to worry about the last ten steps, right? Right? Kiyoshi's already moving on ahead, so it doesn't even- nine... Wait. What am I doing? I need to stretch my arm forward and make up for falling behind, but eight and seven and...This really sucks! If this was my real body my arm would have already been destroyed. It's going to be useless after all of this! Oh, honestly. I'm dragging my feet. And I'm falling forward. But making it to six is good enough, isn't it? The class president will praise me for making it this far, won't she? If I make it five...no, four, he'll treat me to a mini-feast tonight!_

He let out a small groan.

 _I made it! I made it to three! I'm gonna eat! Dammit, Kiyoshi! Get going already!_

 _Two. Just a bit further. One...one...one one one..._

Murakami felt something going on with his legs.

 _Oh, no. The ground is straight ahead. I'm falling. But raise your Raygust. Only the tip of the shield can reach him, it's only for your own self-satisfaction, and you're probably going to collapse, but..._

"Kiyoshi!"

 _Say it and that guy is sure to carry out your errand._

"The imposter! Three minutes!"

"Right!"

 _Idiot. That makes it sound like you're asking him to get you an imposter._

But...

 _I guess it doesn't matter now._

 _One._

.

Shingai saw the All-Rounder dash across the plaza.

"!?"

The Attacker running with him fell from his low stance and into a roll. He made a complete rotation while his arm groaned under the stress.

However, the All-Rounder continued on. The Attacker's arm had barely been reaching him toward the end, but the shield he put up above his head had covered for that.

He cut past Shingai and accelerated into the arcade leading to the area where Kageura Squad was.

"Fire!"

Multiple Trion arrows pursued the All-Rounder, but he lowered down and accelerated as if crawling along the ground. The arrows caught up and swept across the area, but they shot over his head. And by the time the second set of arrows had been loaded...

"...!"

The All-Rounder had already dashed down the street.

"Shingai!?"

Cody's cry brought a moment of hesitation, but Shingai did not pursue. She was ashamed to have let him escape, but another member of Border lay ahead. Pursuing an enemy she had let escape would say she did not trust her fellow agents.

"I shall deal with the opponent I can deal with here!"

Shingai turned toward the collapsed Attacker. One enemy had escaped, but one had been stopped here. This was not a problem, so she waved toward Cody.

"Crush him, Kido. And hold him down to restrain him."

Hearing that, the Attacker stood up while trying to balance himself.

"What's this? Attacking out of spite?"

"Please be quiet. I already defeated you."

"No, you made me fall. Don't get ahead of yourself."

The Attacker slowly rose, but Cody was already pinpointing the weight on him. He gave a small groan and sat back on the ground as if pulled by his arms.

However, he looked over with strength in his gaze.

"I win. Kiyoshi will definitely carry out his mission."

"How can you be so sure!?"

"Because that moron is like a ninja."

He laughed while placing his arms on the ground to help withstand the weight.

"This is what you get!"

.

 _Now, I've said it,_ thought Murakami with an inward smile.

He had not actually gotten his revenge, but this was good enough. If Mei had heard him, she probably would have scolded him for going too far.

 _...But this weight really is-_

"Eh?"

He suddenly felt as if his body had jumped upwards. The weight had vanished and the arms, back, and body he had been using to avoid being crushed suddenly regained their freedom. As he wondered what had happened, he heard a voice.

"Oh, dear. Don't push up from below so suddenly."

Someone stood above him with their legs straddling his back. He looked up to see who it was.

"Misaki!?"

 _Why?_ He wondered in surprise.

"To enjoy the nightlife," answered the smiling girl.

.

Shingai gasped at what occurred in front of her. Not only had a girl dressed like a pseudo-prostitute casually walked up, but...

... _She is taking Kido's weight without issue!?_

The girl's hair decorations and skirt were definitely affected by the weight, but the girl herself was light. She swept up the weight on her entire body and faced Shingai with a smile.

Shingai recognized the girl. She was the one who had defeated Miwa Squad and Arashiyama with a dance during the day.

She was a strange girl, but that strange girl faced Shingai and spoke.

"He heh heh. Fellow boob woman and weighty boy, you honestly look like you have a question. I will answer anything you ask. But the deadline is one second from now. ...One. That's it! I won't answer anything more! Heh heh heh. Now, ask me your question!"

 _...I have no idea what she is saying!?_

Yes, I understand, so I will tell you. Mikocchi! My name today is Mikocchi! After all, my lovely sister honestly made a cheese Doria made with _cel_ ery for dinner last night."

 _...Oh, I kind of understood that one! But it was completely pointless!_

"Wait a second!"

"Just a second!?"

"W-wait at least three seconds!"

"We'll be here all day at this rate. Then again, it's already night. ...Is that okay? Oh, it isn't, is it? How lovely!"

 _...Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Do not get caught up in her pace, Shingai Ite. Follow your blood pressure's example and calm down at a bit above normal. If there is anything to say here it is that I cannot believe the other people have been able to put up with this!_

"But how can you ignore Kido's weight!? Wait... You're in your real body, are you not!? How is that even possible!?"

"Ha ha. How stupid can you be? Of course I honestly won't tell the enemy that. ...Wait, Kō-senpai. What kind of look is that for gazing upon a goddess? Gaze upon her with more of a smile. What? You honestly don't understand either? My god allows makeup and fashion for substitutions, so just by being me, I am not effected by all sorts of trivial things like a Black Trigger! But that's honestly a trade secret!"

 _...What does that even mean!?_

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Of course I'm kidding! I am my own goddess! I'm honestly just kidding~! This black thing around my wrist was a gift from Mei-san. I'm just borrowing it though, so don't honestly think I'm above you all, got it? I can't do much with the amplifier or the sword, but this defense is honestly all I need."

This was dangerous. Shingai could tell this was a dangerous person, but that dangerous person did not stop speaking.

"Now, Senpai, you deal with that boob woman. Okay? And I will take care of that one getting a nice breath of fresh air."

"Wait! Aren't you a normal agent!? You do not have the right to-..."

"What? In that case, I will honestly continue on to watch that plain ninja plainly fail after he got carried away and ran off. I doubt the agents up ahead can lay a finger on the summit's hornet. You honestly understand that much, don't you? You really are stupid. I was lowering myself to your level, so why are you getting carried away? Honestly, this is why humans are so hopeless when they get arrogant! ...All right! That was a pretty good line, wasn't it!? I pass! Yeah!"

Shingai felt dizzy for a moment.

 _...Oh, no. And I already have to deal with Sthénos._

Meanwhile, the strange girl helped up the Attacker.

"Now, if I don't do anything, the others will come crying here and try to interrupt me when I'm showing off, so let's honestly get this over with quickly."

"How dare you say that!?"

"Heh heh heh. Make no mistake. I'm actually in a pretty good mood right now."

The crazy person said something unbelievable.

"After all, my foolish former captain and our lovely Operator are having an honestly fun day. Mikado is a wonderful city. I'm thankful. They both asked for our assistance and I understand that's something I could normally never hope to be asked for, so I'll honestly let you off with a nice beating."

Even the calm Attacker stared blankly at the dancer whose smile deepened.

"C'mon," she said while slapping the Attacker on the butt. "You go over there. I honestly won't help you, but no hard feelings, okay? If I did help you, my foolish former captain would complain and say you could've handled it on your own."

And...

"It looks like the situation in the sky has honestly advanced a stage, so go on ahead to ensure we can advance as well, Murakami Kō-senpai. Go and release some of that stress."

* * *

Yuki ran.

About one hundred meters down the road and to the right, he could see the base of Border.

He was on his way to the northwestern area where he heard that Kageura Squad was, but he could not see the top of the buildings from his current position.

He let out a heavy breath as he wished for it to be closer.

He continued on. It was just one more road. Just one hundred more meters. Once he crossed the buildings, he would have arrived.

And so he ran.

But a group of agents were guarding the area in front of the base.

They did not move toward him. That was only natural as they were fortifying that one position, but Yuki remembered that this was the spot where he knew someone was at.

And so...

"There!"

He simultaneously fired five shots into the shadow created by some eaves up ahead.

In that instant, the shadow rose.

"..."

It took on human form and performed a swift slash.

It was Kagerei Ketsueki.

 _...Even this guy!_

As he stood up, he had already struck with a long trident. He did not name himself or take a defensive stance. He merely attacked.

It was a falling iai attack from the right shoulder yet performed with only the left arm.

There were no gaps in it and yet it had speed.

… _He's fast!_

A horizontal strike targeting the waist cut quickly through the air and yet it seemed to linger. Even if Yuki tried to flee to the side, an attack from a second blade on the left would reach him. Even if he fled under the eaves to the right, the long trident would likely cut through the columns holding up the roof.

 _...In that case..._

 _._

Yuki made the correct decision.

He accelerated and lowered down to slip beneath the long trident.

A shadow was falling on the road. It was cast by the trident's shaft and the area below that straight line was a safe zone, so he charged just below it and spun to match the sweeping motion of the trident.

The movement would bring him behind Ketsueki's back.

However, he saw the man let go of the long shaft.

"...!?"

The trident's shaft struck the front of the house under the arcade and began to roll, but Ketsueki used the lack of that excess weight to spin around even faster.

The movement would bring him in front of Yuki to block the boy's way.

He spread his legs and extended his left arm to tell Yuki to stop.

At the same time, his right arm made two movements. First, a snap of his right hand tossed a Scorpion blade from his left side and down his left sleeve.

Second, he created a different Scorpion blade with his right hand.

"...!"

As the twin attack arrived, Yuki gave a shout. His heart decided on the right and he swung his body in that direction.

"Kuruma-san!"

"Got it!"

Something burst from the back of his body like a bullet.

It was the man named Kuruma Tatsuya.

.

The team captain charged towards the right of Ketsueki who was in the process of swinging down his blades.

The man spread out his body a bit but did not stop himself.

"You don't know how to settle anything, do you!?"

He collided with Ketsueki's body as if embracing it.

"Go, Yuki! Go and get the imposter! We will take over everything you leave here!"

Ketsueki may be an A-Rank agent, but he was still a single person. In that case, he would have to deal with the body that was now attached to him. His speed meant nothing when he was held still by someone.

"That's enough to throw off his senses!"

Ketsueki did indeed hesitate slightly. Kuruma had captured the spear users and he briefly moved to tear Kuruma away with his right hand. However, Kuruma moved back before an attack hit.

The two of them were only a foot away.

Realizing he could make it through, Yuki accelerated. He seemed to throw his body forward as he raised his speed.

However, Ketsueki took action in return. He used the motion of the hips he had lowered in his confusion.

"...!"

And he performed a large and quick back step.

He fell back a good bit in order to retry his attempt to capture Yuki. He also spread his legs with a twisting motion to throw a solid iai strike in the instant he landed.

However, Yuki fearlessly charged on.

 _...This is the action I wanted!_

He continued forward, but he did so by throwing his legs forward, falling to his butt, and sliding.

"Here I go!"

He slipped through the legs Ketsueki had spread to support his attack.

.

It only took an instant.

Ketsueki had not even launched his iai strike.

There was a simple reason why Yuki managed to pass by so quickly. Even if Ketsueki was well off in iai, his balance would be tilted a bit toward his back after a jump backwards. Even if he tried to land in a forward stance and launch an iai strike, his stance would rise up a bit in the front.

As a result, his legs were spread a little more and his body raised a little more than with a standard iai strike.

That was why Yuki was able to slip through.

Showing an obvious intent to accelerate while Ketsueki's sight was impaired had been Yuki's way of luring the man into doing this.

And so he continued on.

Nevertheless, Ketsueki pursued him. The man swung his wrist as if to punch the boy slipping beneath him and he tried to forcibly bring his sword directly down.

In response, Yuki reached out a hand while sliding. He reached toward the but of the blade Ketsueki was swinging down, placed his hand on the blade, and forcibly tugged it over his head.

"!?"

This pulled Ketsueki's balance forward, but he let go of the trident before he fell.

However, Yuki used the downward-swinging motion of Ketsueki's arm to accelerate his slide.

"...!"

He passed through.

He left the A-Rank warrior behind him and began running as he rose to his feet.

The All-Rounder tilted his body forward and accelerated all at once.

However, someone turned around behind him.

He knew the man would pursue him. After all, this enemy had experienced the collapse of his own life, so he would do whatever it took to stop an enemy attempting to do something against his current life.

For that reason, Yuki began his run by swinging both arms to throw his shirt behind him.

He only had to rob the man of his vision. He only had to slightly obstruct the movement of the small swords.

He heard the sound of tearing cloth behind him, but he did not look back.

He felt something strike his back from the top left to the bottom right, but he paid it no heed.

He had received a wound on his back, but he could tell one thing from the sensation.

 _...This one is not deep!_

This was only a Trion Body. As long as that was true then he could continue on.

"...!"

The All-Rounder quickly raised his speed.

* * *

Kageura could feel his irritation increasing with each passing second.

He had been attacking the imposter who called himself "Tsukiko Yuki". Each attack was meant to end the battle quickly. Even going so far as to used team attacks with Kitazoe and Ema. Yet each attack missed.

The team fought as if they were fighting a regular person, they fought as if he was a strong person, they fought as if he was the actual Tsukiko Yuki. Nothing they did worked.

 _"This guy is terrible! He moves like an idiot and can't even hold his sword properly! Who the hell is this idiot, thinking he can pose as Kiyoshi!"_

 _"To be fair, he seems to be doing well enough since we haven't landed a single attack on him."_

 _"Shut the hell up, Yuzuru! I know already!"_

 _"But really, is this some kind of strange luck like Shingai-chan's? If so, we might have to really do more."_

They could not tell from where they were. Both Kitazoe and Ema were at a distance when they attacked. Kageura was close enough to know that it actually was nothing like luck messing them up. It was something much more subtle than that.

Each time Kageura got ready to attack, "Yuki" would moved a bit to the side. His feet slid ever so slightly on the ground, enough to make it almost unnoticeable. His stance was terrible and he held his sword far too lightly to be considered a threat.

His defense was something different.

Almost as if he had some sort of skill that made it so he could evade every attack. While the real Tsukiko Yuki was almost a master at this kind of thing, this "Yuki" was no professional at evading. That was exactly what was throwing Kageura off.

After getting so use to someone like Yuki dodging his attacks he was not ready to these simple ways of dodging.

 _"Hey, why don't we try and get some information from him? If we can't land a hit them we might as well try and get him to say something."_

Kageura clicked his tongue while giving a harsh glare towards "Yuki".

He did not want to speak instead of fighting in this case, but he knew that it was probably a better option. They may even be able to catch him off his guard.

He clicked his tongue again.

"Hey, asshole, what the hell are you getting out of this? Being Kiyoshi is an idiotic thing. He has a crazy life and a crappy illness. Who the hell would want that kind of thing?"

"Hm? Who is Kiyoshi?"

Kageura took a moment.

He remembered that not everyone knew his friend had changed who he was after a certain incident. That was what made it even easier for him to attack. Just knowing that this person was playing the part of "Tsukiko Yuki" without knowing everything made him feel even better about attacking.

"'Yuki'. Why the hell would you want to be 'Yuki'?"

"I don't want to be Yuki-san. I know I never can be. I want him to be more famous! Yuki-san is so cool and so nice that he deserves the spotlight way more than anyone else! I just want people to know more about him!"

Kageura clicked his tongue.

 _"This moron doesn't know anything at all. Kiyoshi would hate to be in the spotlight. Doing all of this is just causing more issues for him."_

 _"To be fair, Tsuki doesn't even know all of his issues. He denies that he has a sister complex or a height complex."_

 _"I don't know him too well so I won't say anything on the topic."_

This is not what he wanted.

Kageura knew he should not have started talking during a fight. He should have just continued to fight until they finally landed a hit. Now he was stuck with people talking about pointless things.

That may have been why he got ready to attack once more.

"Screw it! Let's just get back to trying to hit this guy!"


	15. Vulpecula: Part 4

**Chapter 15:** Vulpecula: Part 4

* * *

The silver tongue that turns truth into lies and lies into truth

* * *

Shingai began a high-speed rally with the Attacker using the special bow Trigger.

They both targeted the other's body and face, so a single miss would mean Bail Out.

They were approximately six meters apart, so their actions were taken at a point between close and long range.

They returned and sent forth attacks. When the attacks were sent back, they would hit them with sword swings or more arrows.

Shingai pulled the string on her how to hit the arrow that was bounced back, sending even more arrows out while sending even more back.

 _I cannot lose!_

She would not let herself lose.

"Kido!"

"Got it."

She had said nothing, but if Cody understood, that was fine.

There was something they both understood quite well without saying it aloud.

"We are in charge of this area!"

A loss was unacceptable. If the two of them lost, it would mean they allowed for others to make it through them.

 _...We must not lose!_

Before her, a single sword was being swung around in single strokes. She thought she also saw small sparkles in the air as it was swung, but that seemed wrong.

This was a skilled opponent and Shingai understood that. He had done well against Shingai in their previous encounter and an opponent like that would have polished and sharpened his skill before a revenge match.

And so Shingai spoke up.

"I will give this everything I have!"

She fired the arrows again to double the amount, so a total of sixteen arrows were being exchanged on the battlefield.

In response, the Attacker's eyes opened wide.

"Looks like I'll need to switch modes."

He changed how he held the sword. He tightened the grip on Kōgetsu while making sure his fingers were in the right place.

That grip poured great strength into the sword. It was not suited for long use, but it was perfect for a short and quick battle.

His swinging motions grew a bit forceful and included more movements.

However...

"How is this even possible!?"

The Attacker did not bother replying. He merely swung his sword in the air with lines appearing after the swings before vanishing. He did not even look at Shingai. His gaze was entirely focused on the path of the arrows and his own swings. Shingai then saw something in the Attacker's eyes that watched the number of swings grown in his strengthened swings that now hit every arrow back with more accuracy than before.

"..."

He was smiling.

Shingai knew that look.

... _Some fighters_ _get it sometimes!_

She felt more frustration than danger and she knew exactly why.

 _...You idiot!_

She wanted the Attacker to look at her, but another thought ruled her mind.

 _...I will not lose!_

Just as the Attacker was more focused on swinging the sword than intercepting the attacks, Shingai also had to grow serious. And there was something that would give her a smile as she did so: being with children.

 _...I cannot say that this is not entertaining._

But just like Cody and the others, she was intent on capturing Tsukiko Yuki no matter what. After all...

... _He will simply bring trouble._

.

As Cody moved back a bit and lifted his blade to pour down more weight, he looked away from Suzume who seemed unable to move and he turned to Shingai.

... _Don't lose. Don't lose, Shingai. We need to win to make sure things don't fall apart._

There were multiple reasons why the two of them has to continue on.

However…

"Kido!"

He understood. He usually understood nothing that came from her, but this was one thing he did understand.

 _Don't lose._

 _Don't lose, me. Don't lose, Shingai._

And to do that...

"I won't lose."

.

"How sublime!"

The agents in reserve heard a strange girl speak. The bending of her clothes and the indentation in the ground showed just how much weight was bearing down on her, but she remained perfectly calm.

"It seems everyone is saying they 'have to lose' because of the rumors about Yuki-san and it was growing tedious. Saying you can always make it an accidental loss is just another side of being a loser."

"How selfish can you be?" asked someone.

"It's not like anyone has a choice," said someone else.

However, the strange girl continued.

"I like women who refuse to lose."

She took a slow step forward.

"I also like men who refuse to lose."

She took a second step and then a calm third step.

"And since I refuse to lose, I am the most sublime of them all."

There was no slowing to her movements. Everyone wondered why because she supposedly had a massive amount of weight on her shoulders. The S-Rank agent also held his blade high into the air.

"A flower honestly cannot be beaten," said the girl. "No matter how harsh the location and no matter how much snow and dirt pile on top of it, come spring, its stalk will extend and it will bloom toward the sun. And a flower will enjoy itself even if there is no one around to see it. Also, it may wither in the fall, but it will honestly bloom again in the spring. There is no loss there. It is constant cycle of victory."

Therefore...

"Even under a great weight, a flower will not lose. It will rise above it and achieve victory all for its love of itself. That is what people mean when they say a flower is 'blooming with pride'. And my garden is full of them."

In that instant, a change occurred in the air.

After Cody lifted the blade even further up, it suddenly dropped.

.

Cody noticed something happen each time the flashy girl took a step.

... _It gets heavier!?_

Murasame got heavier. It became obvious at around the third step. Each further step she took worked toward releasing Cody's power.

 _...Why?_

He did not understand. It was normal to not understand certain things, but when he had been using this Black Trigger for so long, it made no sense that his ability could be canceled out by only a single Trigger from a girl who probably barely got it. His father had even praised it and said seeing it put him in a good mood.

Nevertheless, it was being removed. He wondered why and felt it was unfair.

This girl was the one who had danced at a park, so he had placed the weight on her to keep her from dancing. The weight would crush her and prevent her from making dance steps or lightly spinning around. The tension in the girl's skirt was proof of that.

So how was she able to walk and release Cody's power?

"You're a pretty good example of a boy, so I'll tell you what's going on," said the flashy girl as she brushed a hand through her bangs. "Spinning and waving your arms are not the only ways to dance. Do you get what I mean?"

Cody then realized he was hearing a noise.

"Footsteps."

"Right. Well done. I see you're the type to notice the small things that fools overlook. Yes. Right. Producing footsteps, clapping your hands, and speaking out all honestly go back to the rhythm of a drum and the origins of dance. And..."

Cody listened to the footsteps of the approaching girl. They sounded almost like...

"The rhythm of your pulse. The origin of those rhythmic footsteps, clapping, and shouting is honestly the most primitive rhythm. That rhythm is the wave-like music we all learn in our mothers' womb. That is honestly the basis from which music and dance were created. Did you know that both song and dance are said to delight the harvest? They are said to be an act of life."

The strange girl laughed and then gave a bitter smile.

"But that's enough for the lecture. It just doesn't suit me. Even if this knowledge is what's letting me use this Trigger."

Cody wanted to hear more, but he had a feeling the girl would not tell him the rest. He wondered if his father would tell him.

However, his stance was currently dropping.

He decided to strengthen his power. He focused himself and imagined the amount of gravity he could use. Going overboard would destroy the actual gravity of the area, so he really had to focus. But not focus too much. He imagined how this would end, how the fight would continue. However, his imagination brought a change over him.

 _...It makes everything race._

"This dance is inside you as well. Even with Trion bodies, we replicate these kinds of things to honestly remain truly human."

Murasame lowered and continued to lower.

 _...No. If it continues to fall, others may be sad. I'll lose._

But...

... _I'm_ _dancing too?_

"Yes. Commander Kido, that boob woman, and everyone else are the same, so no one wins and no one loses. Just bring a hand to your chest and take a step."

The footsteps synced up.

This racing inside of him was what happened when he was having fun.

If it also happened to his father and everyone else, even if Cody could not do anything, he and the others were all doing the same thing when they were having fun.

"We're all dancing?"

"Heh heh heh. An entertainer needs to be able to make people dance as she wishes."

The next thing he knew, even he had a smiling face of his own.

 _Oh, no,_ he thought. But he also thought he had been taught something important. He truly was an idiot. His mind was in complete disarray and he could not make sense of anything.

However, he knew he could not let himself lose, so he tried to stay true to that.

"Sorry."

He did not know who he was apologizing to as he tried to add on even more weight. At the same time, he wondered if the excited beating inside of him would vanish if he crushed the flashy girl.

"...!"

.

"Going all out even against someone weak to long-range. I can respect that attitude!"

Shingai heard the Attacker speak, but she continued nonetheless.

"More!"

She fired her arrows twice for a total number of arrows four times the initial number.

However, the Attacker smiled.

"Here it comes! This is trouble! The #4 Attacker of Border in trouble! What's this!? Is he bringing this to a dead heat just before the deadline!? Is this the same as figuring out you can win only after losing from an OTK that could have been stopped!?"

… _When did you become an idiot!?_

The Attacker's brain was experiencing the same high as one did late at night. With no concern for his reputation, he began rapidly saying memories with a serious expression as he continued his work. Meanwhile, Shingai prepared the next rally.

She removed the Bagworm from her body.

The power to fire off multiple Trion arrows was her ability now. She had gained it through the assistance of her teammate.

It was technically not a Border Trigger and there were still some issue with it. She had gained the firing ability that rivaled a Meteora shot with only a single arrow.

She would focus completely on attack and nothing else.

Her enemy was using his full speed to desperately hit back the thirty-two arrows.

"...!"

But this was likely his limit. After all, swinging a sword was not the same as striking with a snap of the wrist. That was why his swings became more wide instead of targeting. It was to prevent them from having the chance of missing even a single arrow.

Meanwhile, Shingai fired with everything she had. And...

"There!"

She targeted the Attacker's left side. The boy was right-handed, so he would have more difficulty hitting them back from there.

He could always evade them, but...

"I fired one last time."

She had fired the arrows for the fifth time. She had sent the instruction at the very last moment while removing the possibility of missing. It had been a gamble whether it would reach the boy or not, but it seemed to have succeeded.

With a sound much like bursting springs, eight additional arrows were fired. These eight would arrive shortly after the thirty-two that were already difficult to return. Something would clearly be wrong if none of these hit.

And so they would hit.

But just before they did, Shingai saw something move in front of her.

"That Trigger!?"

The Attacker had moved his left arm forward after one final swing with his right, showing a very different Trigger.

 _...Raygust!?_

In that case, he had not been swinging the sword to fire back all this time. It was all meant to move the larger Trigger at the right moment and merely looked like something else.

"You mean you were prepared!?"

The Attacker gave a shout in response while slamming Raygust's Shield Mode to the ground and breaking the cement.

"Starlight!"

.

A moment later, a something resembling shining stars expanded before Shingai's eyes. It was the prototype Trigger that had been created by a girl he knew. It was the Trigger he had been using with Kōgetsu to push back each arrow.

 _...I'm really glad it works with Kōgetsu and Raygust._

It was a repelling defense Trigger.

Before Shingai could think anything more, the solid sound of the arrows being repelled rang out like an instrument. The Attacker gave a selfish pose of triumph toward the heavens and collapsed backwards.

"No more!"

Shingai understood what that word meant: her opponent had done everything he could do.

That meant it was Shingai's turn.

"...!"

She held the bow with a new arrow toward the total of forty arrows. She believed she could return them, so she clenched her teeth and faced the approaching wall of arrows.

"Kh!"

In the present, she faced the wall before her.

"Me too!"

She decided that she would do this.

.

Two actions filled the next instant.

One was Shingai's empty bow moving through empty air.

The other was the approaching arrows being struck forcefully from above and stabbing into the ground. There was only one reason why the quarrels would fall so suddenly.

"Kido!?"

Cody had placed the weight on the arrows rather than his enemy.

That could mean only one thing: he was no longer specifying a single target for his gravity.

... _He has lost!?_

Shingai turned around and saw Cody sitting on the ground where he was fighting. A normal fight would have ended with someone having to Bail Out, but the situation was different for the two who used Black Triggers.

However, the crazy girl stood in front of Cody.

"Heh heh heh. I may miss out on helping Yuki-san, but at least I helped out our honestly great Kō-senpai."

 _What exactly happened between them?_ thought Shingai. _That strange girl's Trigger should have no way of countering, only defending._

She saw enemies and allies.

She needed to form an official confrontation using that arrangement.

"We have done what we were meant to do, but I suppose it ended in a no contest due to intervention."

"Heh heh heh. So you're honestly going to get out of it with that excuse?"

"I will take you on any time. As long as there is a reason worth risking our pride for."

Shingai turned towards the direction Yuki had ran off too.

"Now, perhaps the others while bring an end to this."

* * *

Kageura was unsure about how it happened. It was so sudden that he was unsure of how they had done it.

Both Ema and Kitazoe had turned into lights before flying off towards the Border HQ.

He felt a stinging sensation on the back of his head and moved to the right. That feeling had been his Side Effect warning him of what was to come.

 _Someone else... They don't know about my Side Effect._

If they had know about these stinging feelings he would be getting then they would not have attacked with a long-range attack. Now he just needed to know when this new person had appeared and what they were.

He moved forward with the intent of attacking the one in front of him while thinking of the second person as nothing more than a distraction. They could not hit him so there was no reason to worry about them.

 _"These two are terrible. The one who shot us down isn't even wearing Bagworm. We'll send you the coordinates on where they are."_

 _"Seriously... How have they not been caught yet? You would think that, even with a Trigger, the police would be able to get them."_

Kageura faltered for a moment at hearing this.

The "Yuki" in front of him did not know how to properly dodge an attack or even how to counterattack while his apparent partner did not even know the basics of long-range fighting. The two were far below average in a fight that it was actually hard to know how to deal with them.

When compared to other people Kageura had to fight it was far too different to get a good grasp at fighting these two. Others would think of strategies, they would dodge and counter, they would find ways around his Side Effect. These two did nothing of the sort and seemed to simply be fooling around.

It was rather irritating to him.

"Who the hell are-... What is that noise?"

The two halted in their fight once they heard something.

It was the sound of something growing closer at a rapid rate.

It was a familiar noise, yet it was also rather hard to figure out what it was.

They could only figure it out once the noise finally reached them.

"..."

"Out of the way, Kage! I'm pissed and don't want to deal with this!"

From behind a building a motorcycle flew into the air with an idiot riding it. His black hair was in the air while a pole swung wildly behind him.

Once he was at the highest point in the air he jumped off while the motorcycle continued on. It flew through the air and went right towards "Yuki", smashing into him and throwing him into a nearby building.

The person landed on the ground before accelerating forward with the pole in his hand and a crescent-shaped blade at the end of the pole.

He made a backhanded slashing motion to send out an extended slash, cutting the building at the base and sending the entire top of it to the ground.

The person jumped back to stand next to Kageura.

"Heeeeeeeey! You aren't allowed to just come in here and fight, you moron! This is all your fault in the first damn place!"

"Gah! Hey, hey! Kage-! Stop! Why are you smashing my head down like some sort of dough!?"

"Because this idiot is trying to be like you! If you weren't so damn troublesome then we wouldn't be dealing with this! When we're done here you are gonna pay us all back in full, you asshole!"

.

Yuki moved to the side to get away from the hand pushing down on his hand.

He had not wanted to use Trion for Teleport and knew that he could not make it in time simply by running. That was why he made the decision to take a detour by going over to "borrow" a motorcycle.

He knew that he would get reprimanded for this but he was far too angry at the moment to care.

Once he was a bit away from Kageura he looked up to ask a question.

"What do you mean that this is my fault?"

"This guy pops a boner for you. He's using a Trigger to look like you. If you just stuck with being Kiyoshi then we wouldn't be having this problem!"

"What!? That's messed up! I know he must be pretty dumb for copying me, but that has nothing to do with me changin! And at that point you should just blame that damn airhead!"

The two of them glared at each other for a few seconds before turning their sharp gazes to the area where "Yuki" had been sent flying. From within the smoke and debris a figure could be seen.

The two were quick to move back when they saw the figure disappear.

Yuki was a master at Teleport while Kageura had fought against him enough to know how to deal with the Trigger. They both knew to move from any strationary spot so that the Teleport user would have to take a moment to steady themselves after teleporting.

What they were not prepared for was for the person to just suddenly move forward after teleporting and fall to the ground in front of Yuki.

"Yuki" quickly stood up and started at the original with stars in his eyes.

"Wow! It's really Yuki-san! Hey! I really want to know something! If you don't mind! How do you get the teleporting right? You're a master at it, so I just want to know what exactly you do! Don't worry, I don't plan on overtaking you. I know I will never be able to do something like that! You're just way too great, Yuki-sa-"

"Yuki" continued speaking, even as Idōgetsu flew over his head and then brought down on his head.

"Whoa! That's so cool! So that's Idōgetsu! I've only seen it on recording! Seeing it up close is so awesome! Can I hold it for a-"

Both Scorpion blades and a crescent-shaped blade aimed for his body, to no avail. Each attack was dodged with the clumsiness that only a certain Suzunari Branch member could manage. It was both amazing to watch as well as annoying to deal with.

Yuki used both hands to switch methods of attacking while switching from the crescent-shaped blade to the heavy ball-like weapon made of Trion. His own use of Teleport was even on display with his whole body moving from one side to another, all while working in harmony with Kageura's attacks.

At some point long-range shots from a distance were added it.

The whole thing seemed like some sort of well coordinated show with no single person being the center of attention.

.

"Yuki" was well aware that he could not win this fight with just simple dodging. That was why he was quick to message his comrade while taking a leap backwards.

A rain of shots came down on the battlefield, none of which seemed to mess up the Attacker and All-Rounder one bit.

"Alright. Thank you for your help, Kageura-san. Now that Yuki-san is here, you can go. Right, all I needed from everyone was to make sure I was caught by Yuki-san."

Something walked down from the imposter's shoulder and walking away while the by himself calmly moved from his spot. Four in total, each thing continued to move without a care while the two actual Border agents continued to move around the rain of shots that did not seem to end.

Even as they moved they could see exactly what was walking along the ground.

The small things were Rads.

Yuki understood why there had been Irregular Gates opening around the city now. It was because this person had been moving the Rads around the city to where he saw fit.

"Yuki" stopped moving once all the Rads were far enough away from him and already opening Gates. He smiled from behind the black orbs opening up in the sky.

"There we go. Kageura-san can take care of these Gates while I fight Yuki-san. That way I can really see what it's like to fight him! If I didn't get to do that much after everything I've been through today then I just wasted my time. After all-"

There was no time to dodge.

The whole time the fight had been going on, "Yuki" had been able to fend off attacks from both Kageura and Yuki through odd ways. That was not even a possibility in this situation.

"Tsukiko Yuki" took a step back from the surprise attack. His cheek had suddenly started leaking Trion.

"You have no right to say something like that. I'm the one who has had to deal with all kinds of crap because of you. Just for that..."

In another single moment, three motions were made.

Somehow, in some way, three simultaneous attacks came from the right, left and from above. Each one went for a vital area while moving fast enough to be considered a single attack.

"Yuki" did what he could by bringing up a shield while tucking himself in and rolling over. The attacks, while missing their initial mark, managed to take a few pieces off of him.

"Yeah. I've decided to beat the shit outta you."

From where he was, "Yuki" could see Kageura let out a sigh before grinning like a beast.

This was not something he had expected. These kinds of movements were nothing like what he had seen in the multiple recordings he had gotten and had seen. The attacks that had just gotten to him were more refined and pinpoint. Each one really had the intention of taking off his head.

That was not what he had expected from Yuki.

 _That's disappointing._

"Yuki" moved back to get away from another sharp attack.

The attacks coming up were all from Yuki while any from Kageura were directed towards the Trion Soldiers coming from the Gates. That meant there was only one person to keep track of.

Yet that was difficult on its own.

Among everyone in Border it was rather well known that a certain A-Rank agent was very proficient in using Teleport and its variants. His usage of the Triggers had been what saved him from multiple fights during the day.

Seeing these kinds of attacks up close was amazing and beautiful to see. The sound that came with using Teleport also played a part in the fight.

 _He really is amazing! He's using a downside of the Trigger to his advantage by making me hear it multiple times around me!_

All "Yuki" could do was narrowly dodge or manage to somehow bring up his blade to block the attacks.

This is what he wanted.

A fight that really showed what his idol could do.

* * *

A girl with a hime-cut hairstyle and rough eyes continued to look through the scope on the Egret in her hands.

 _These guys really are crazy. Damn. How the hell did he even drag me into this again? When we get caught we are going to be in major trouble. Jail? Yeah. Probably jail. It's only fair after all. No matter how good they are, I doubt they would let us off with a smack on the wrist for identity theft._

The girl let out a sigh before moving back a bit.

She wore a Bagworm over her shoulders so that she would not be caught on Radar as well as made sure to stay within the shadow of the only obstacle on the roof so that she would not be seen easily by the naked eye.

She thought about the day that had been going on.

They had finally done what they wanted and ended up getting found out.

 _Although that guy is the only one who got found out._

She had not been involved until the day dragged on. It was at some point that she had been involved by firing a shot that had taken out Hatohara Minoru as he was speaking with Takaoto Mei. That was the point where she could not longer just take things easy.

Her guilt was only amplified as she fired shots against Kageura Squad as well as Kageura himself just moments ago.

She had been unfamiliar with Kageura's Side Effect and wondered why he was able to dodge her shots. Both Sniper and Gunner Triggers seemed to have no effect on him. That was when she gave up on firing and decided to just observe everything.

Then she thought about her partner in crime.

"At the start if this all you'd think him a regular door-to-door salesman until he brought out the Trigger. He could have just easily played it off, but noooooooo! He wanted to try his best to screw up Tsukiko-san's life without even realizing it. And then he had the nerve to give me this Trigger! There's no way I'm going to be let off for this..."

She slowly sank back into onto the roof, taking slight glances in one area of Mikado City to see if anything particular was going on.

The day had started off so well.

Now here they were, dealing with the reproductions of their actions.

"Well, I might as well get this over with. All of Border should know by now that there is a fake of Tsukiko-san. If I'm seen in this body then I'll really be in trouble. It's better to-"

A small sound filled her ears.

It was coming from above, that much she knew.

She looked up to see what it could be but could not see much when it was already night time and something was blocking out the moon.

That was when she knew it was certainly something.

Something was falling towards her at an incredible rate. The object continued to get bigger and bigger as it descended towards her without any sort of way to stop itself.

When it had finally reached her, it was too late.

Everything was already destroyed.

* * *

Kageura shifted his eyes a bit to the side when he heard the sound of something being destroyed not too far away.

He figured something was up when the firing had stopped and he was left to deal with the Trion Soldiers with no interruptions.

 _"Don't worry about it~ It was just your average daily nuke of a woman smashing into an unused building~ I bet you're happy about that. Much better than average daily wages being used to fire off some sort of weird gun, am I right?"_

"What the hell are you even saying at this point!?"

"That's no way to talk to a lady, Kageura-kun. Besides, you know what's going on. Only our lovely Mei would do something like that."

"That's not true and you know it, Phantom Hag."

Kageura made no movement as multiple shots sped passed him, destroying the cores of two Trion Soldiers.

In one quick motion he turned his body to let out his Scorpion blades on a closer Trion Soldier before turning back to Kako.

He could see her grinning down at him from her perch on a building. It seemed as if she was alone.

"It took me a while to fully decide on which side I'm on. I'll need to pay her back later on. For now, I'll be helping you out. I hope you don't mind my being here."

"If it gets things done then I'll just deal with it."

Kako smiled down at him as multiple blobs of Trion floated around her. Those blobs were only there for a few seconds before being fired off towards Trion Soldiers further away.

The Trion Soldiers had no time to take any defensive maneuvers or attack in any way as the combination of shots and a blade moved throughout the battlefield with far too much accuracy and ferocity. These were the ability of A-Rank Border agents.

Meaning any more agents would lead to the total destruction of the rest of the Trion Soldiers.

At this point it was easy enough for either one of them to take out the rest while the other went to go assist Yuki. While it would give room for more Trion Soldiers to come out, it would also give them a chance to end this whole ordeal altogether.

That is until something unexpected happened.

"Finally got here!"

The two continued their attacks while turning to the familiar voice.

Tachikawa Kei grinned as he ran, ready with a blade in hand towards the two people claiming to be "Tsukiko Yuki".

They knew what would happen next and so prepared for a new and pointless fight with the #1 Attacker in Border.

 _"Please continue what you were doing. I will be dealing with this man."_

Rushing in from where Tachikawa had come from was a girl who had her hair tied in a high ponytail. Her speed was amazing to watch as she started to close in on Tachikawa.

A few houses behind here were a few more people. Two of them wore the same uniform as the ponytail-girl while the others wore matching gray uniforms. These people seemed to be doing their best to keep up but could not match one of the fastest in Border.

The next thing that happened seemed to be made up of multiple quick movements that were rather hard to see from where they had been fighting.

 _"Hey! Can someone give me a play-by-play of what's going on? I feel like there's something exciting going on and I'm missing it without much reason!"_

"Very well. I'll tell you. Kanzaki managed to catch up to Tachikawa while also getting above him to deliver a harsh kick to his face. Tachikawa was sent back while also getting ready for seemingly another fight that we did not see before. The rest of Hogo Squad and Miwa Squad are now here and seem to be helping us with the Trion Soldiers, as well as dealing with Tachikawa."

 _"Great! Thanks for that!"_

Kageura could feel his anger boil over a bit as an idiotic conversation continued on through his ears.

If anything good came out of this whole ordeal it would have to be that he was allowed to tear through the Trion Soldiers without any reservation. Especially right now. Right when he got mad.

With one quick turn he was able to take out two more Trion Soldiers.

Even more fell to the ground as the shots from Kako destroyed the cores of each one.

"Damn. I won't be apologizing to that damn faker but even I am enough of a grownup to admit that I did not expect there to be an idiot who would copy him. Hm. A bit ironic I guess."

"That's not too shocking. Oh. I mean that Yuki wasn't the actual culprit. The guy has his issues but he wouldn't do something like that. Right, Ninomiya-san~?"

Three disgusted faces were made at the moment Inukai stopped speaking.

Kako and Kageura both gave terrible looks once the two from Ninomiya Squad showed up while Ninomiya himself disliked the thought of Yuki really being innocent.

"Yes, well... We can just leave those two disgraces to fight each other. If I look in that direction then there's no doubt that I'll end up firing at the both of them."

"Hey, you airhead. Can't you just go over and get in Tachikawa's way for us? All you need to do is stand in front of him while Kanzaki cut the both of you in half. Yeah. That is how you can be useful to us."

"Oh yeah. You exist as well. I guess I'll just have to face a single way so I don't see either one of you from the corner of my eyes."

The atmosphere around the area started to grow heavy as it seemed like Kako and Ninomiya were going to be fighting each other from now on. At the same time, Kageura tried to ignore the Gunner who was trying to speak to him.

These were A-Rank material Border agents who had strange and most likely terrible relationships with each other. Yet they all knew that they had a job to do in taking out the Trion Soldiers around them.

* * *

This was not enough.

Both people who called themselves "Tsukiko Yuki" knew well enough that one of them was far beyond the level of the other. Even something as simple as luck or the clumsiness of someone meant nothing when it came to the gap of skill between them.

Yuki knew that he would not lose.

The amount it hits he was getting, the amount of speed he had generated, the amount of steps that he took, the amount of space between them. All of it was obvious to him by this point. Even the amount of moves he needed to take for his next few attacks were planned out.

This single person was not much compared to everyone he had to fight during the day.

Ten or so hits could be delivered before he would get hit once. He got from one side to the other in only a few seconds. Only three steps were needed for most of his attacks. He had a lot of room left when attacking with Idōgetsu. He could think through everything he was going to do without any issue. His attacks were simply chains that lead into each other.

Yet...

 _He's enjoying this. His expression says it all. This person knows that he is going to lose and get punished for what he did. Even so, he's happy since he's fighting me._

He knew this feeling.

Yuki understood what was going on. It was the same kind of thing that his former squad would do when they were practicing.

Just being around the person they admired, both the former Tsukiko Squad and this "Tsukiko Yuki" felt overjoyed by just having the chance to fight him. To be able to lose to someone like him; someone who they saw as above themselves.

That meant he knew how to deal with this kind of person.

This was more than enough.

This fight was currently more than enough for the lookalike. He was more than happy to even have this chance to fight and was well aware that the original was purposely holding back from delivering the finishing blow.

That was why he was smiling when it finally came.

.

 _I guess I just need to end this. That airhead and the others seem to be finishing up and Mei already took that other person out. Even Kei-san isn't doing much with Kanzaki on his ass like that._

A small sigh escaped Yuki's lips as he moved smoothly behind his lookalike.

There was just no way to leave things as they were. This would be the final attack in this fight.

With a single thrust Idōgetsu ran through the Trion Body of the false "Yuki". A crescent shaped blade quickly appeared on the ends of the tip before being pulled back.

The top half and the bottom half of "Tsukiko Yuki" started to fall to the ground before exploding into a puff of smoke.

Yuki let out one more sigh as he spun Idōgetsu in the air before placing it back into its holster.

He looked down to see who had decided to copy his appearance.

"Huh. You look pretty normal to me. I figured there would be something wrong with you if you were copying me. I guess you just wanted to be stupid."

"Heh... Sorry about all of that. I don't like myself too much so I thought it would be better to be someone like you. Guess I took it too far. I even went so far as to drag my friend into this. Although I didn't really want to do much without her."

 _Oh. I can understand that. Without Mei I feel like I wouldn't want to do certain things either._

Yuki gave a small nod.

"I would ask if you could let her off the hook but I already know that won't happen. I'll need to properly apologize to her later on. Would you be fine with that?"

Another nod.

"Hm. See? When you are that cool I don't feel so bad about imitating you. After all, it's said that imitation is the best form of flattery."

"Not sure that's how it goes..."

The person on the ground gave a shrug without making a single move to get up.

"Either way, it's time to go. It looks like even Kei-san is done fighting for now. It would be best to get everything done and over with so we can finally put an end to today."

"Right, right. I won't be fighting back so just tell me where to go. At this point it would be stupid anyways."

Yuki gave his final nod before walking towards the Border base.

The day had been long and eventful, yet grueling and tiresome for some of the Border agents around.

Tsukiko Yuki's troubles had started near the middle of the day and had only just ended.

With silent footsteps and a blank look on his face, the silver tongued fox made his way towards the true end. All that was left was to tell the truth of everything that had happened.

With loud footsteps and a smile on his face, an ignorant copycat followed his idol. All that was left was to accept his punishment.


End file.
